Spending on Diabetes treatment constantly on the rise yet many diabetics fail to achieve their glycemic targets
A few alarming facts regarding the diabesity epidemic and its treatment have been published recently. It turns out that despite the constant rise in public spending on anti-diabetic treatments and medications, the number of diabetics worldwide continues to grow at a staggering rate. The biggest problem is that even with the various available antidiabetic medications a substantial number of patients are unable to significantly lower their blood glucose level.
In 2010, as in previous years, diabetes treatment was the leading contributor to the rise in US spending on drugs, this according to a report from Medco Health Solutions. This report showed that the rise in demand for diabetes drugs overshadowed the increase in demand for respiratory, rheumatological and oncological drugs. Diabetes is the fifth largest driver of drug use and yet between a 1/3 and 1/2 of all diabetics fail to achieve their glycemic targets with oral antidiabetics.
To add to that, a new research appearing in the British Medical Journal Lancet, has reported that the prevalence of diabetes is now estimated at more than 350 million people worldwide, 25% higher than previous estimates reported in 2009. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, accounting for over 90% of diabetes cases, and is often tied to obesity. “Diabetes is one of the biggest causes of mortality worldwide, and our study has shown that it is becoming more common almost everywhere. It is set to become the single largest burden on world health care systems”, said Prof. Majid Ezzati, the study’s lead author and a professor of global environmental health at Imperial College London.
The alarming reality is that despite increased investment in newer pharmacological anti-diabetics the number of type 2 diabetics continues to be on the rise. A large number of type 2 diabetics fail to achieve their glycemic goals with these anti-diabetics and are in need of better treatment alternatives.
Interventional Diabetology – a new paradigm in diabetes treatment is emerging as a safe and efficacious treatment for type 2 diabetics. Applying minimally invasive surgical approaches to treat Type 2 diabetes it provides a real alternative to conservative treatments.
MetaCure’s DIAMOND system is a novel anti-diabetic implantable device approved for use in Europe (CE mark) since 2007 to treat Type 2 Diabetes and obesity. The DIAMOND system is an advanced electrical stimulator that delivers gentle electric pulses to the stomach muscles during meals, reducing blood glucose levels in addition to bringing about weight loss, improvement in blood pressure and in fat metabolism. The DIAMOND System has demonstrated its safety and efficacy in treating Type 2 Diabetics failing on oral antidiabetics in numerous trials in Europe, Asia and the US, doing so with minimal patient compliance requirements.