The research of 914 kids with modest to moderate asthma attack discovered that over a annual period, kids who informed consistent inspired steroid hormone use were 20% less believable to inform having well-controlled asthma attack equated with those not applying any inhaled steroid hormones. This discovery held even when the severity of the children’s asthma attack was allowed.

“There can potentially be some causes for our discoveries; It is potential that some kids are genetically less reactive to steroid hormones,” states research worker Gregory Sawicki, M.D. of kids’ infirmary in Boston. “Besides issues of drug adherence and unfitness to entirely control for deviations in underlying asthma attack, severity can never be entirely ruled out.”

A lot of studies of grownups with asthma attack have suggested that even brutal use of inhaled steroid hormones does not lead to well checked asthma in all grownups, Dr. Sawicki noticed. “But this problem has not been viewed closely in kids,” he stated. “Further researches are needful to see what is dissimilar about kids who don’t react to steroid hormones, to see if there’s an approach to predict whether a kid will respond to inspired sex hormones.”

Of the 914 kids in the research, inhaled steroids were suggested for 435 who had lasting asthma, implying they had attributes on a systematic basis. Among kids who were not suggested for inhaled steroid hormone therapy, most informed well-controlled asthma attack. Among those suggested for inhaled steroid hormone therapy, 44% informed systematically using the medication; 35% said they intermittently applied the medication and 21% stated they did not use it at all.

The research of 235 sick people with asthma attack discovered that 56% had laughter-induced asthma attack (LIA). Asthma attack that is activated by laughter does not seem to induce more asthma attack flare-ups demanding ER visits or hospital care compared with additional forms of asthma attack, according to research author Stuart Garay, M.D., Clinical Prof of Medicine at NYU Health Center in New York. “But sick people did inform that during times while their asthma attack is well assured they could laugh for longer without getting asthma attack attributes. That indicates that laughter-induced asthma attack could be a sign that a person’s asthma attack is not as well assured as it can be. Inhabit with bronchial asthma should be allowed to joke.”

Nobody cognizes how laughter brings on asthma attack, but it may imply hyperventilating, Dr. Garay stated. He remarked that practice was the only initiation more general in humans with laughter-induced asthma attack compared with asthma attack not caused by laughter (sixty-one % of humans with LIA vs. Thirty-five % of asthma sick people without LIA).

Dr. Garay was affected by how general laughter-induced asthma attack is. “It’s as general as some of the most long-familiar asthma activators, like grasses, trees, pollen, fumes and odors, and it is even more general than dust jots, allergic reaction to animals and molds,” he stated. “It’s a little-appreciated often trigger.”

The research discovered that the most general symptom in sick people with laughter-induced asthma attack was coughing, which normally begins within 2 minutes. The next most general symptom was chest closeness.

How much laughter can set off breathing disorders? “It hinges upon the sick person,” Dr. Garay supposed. “For a majority of sick people, mild laughter or even a chuckle will set off coughing. For other people, laughing hard will induce asthma syndrome.”

The link between obesity and male potency dates from the Byzantine era, when it was thought that a large stomach impaired a man’s ability to have sexual intercourse. This is particularly relevant today, as the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled in the last 25 years. Excess abdominal fat, cardiovascular disease, high blood lipids and type-2 diabetes characterize a condition known as metabolic syndrome, which has recently been associated with erectile dysfunction.

The study included 2,435 male patients who sought treatment at an outpatient clinic for sexual dysfunction between 2001 and 2007. The results showed that obesity was significantly associated with a higher physical contribution to ED, while there was no difference seen with relational or psychological determinants. As the severity level of obesity increased, levels of testosterone decreased (two out of three patients with morbid obesity had low testosterone). Obese patients were also more likely to have abnormalities in penile blood flow. Psychological disturbances related to obesity did not seem to play a major role in developing obesity-related ED.

“This is a landmark study in that it shows that sexual health is clearly linked to overall health, and that improving one’s general health provides a man the opportunity to improve his erectile function” states Dr. Irwin Goldstein, Alvarado Hospital’s Sexual Medicine Director and Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Sexual Medicine.”

Alvarado Hospital is a 306-bed acute care hospital that also operates the San Diego Rehabilitation Institute and Advanced Spine Institute, which serves patients with either inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation needs. Alvarado has more than 500 on-staff physicians, 1,000 employees and 400 volunteers who provide quality care to East County San Diego. Alvarado Hospital’s programs include cardiac services, emergency medicine services, neuroscience, orthopedics, oncology, rehabilitation, general surgical services, sexual medicine, skull base surgery, sleep center, vascular services and surgical weight reduction. http://www.alvaradohospital.com

Source
Sandy Nesheiwat
Account Executive

“Of the greatest concern is the use of telemedicine to treat erectile dysfunction,” said Dr Chris Mitchell, RACGP President and GP in Northern NSW . “The danger is that a condition will be treated in isolation without due regard to other physical and emotional factors, which might be affecting a patient”.

“General practitioners provide whole person, comprehensive and coordinated care and often have an established relationship with their patients,” said Dr Mitchell. “This allows the GP to explore a range of interventions, both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical, as part of the continuing care of a patient.”

“GPs should be the first point of contact in the health care system and are well placed to deal with erectile dysfunction,” Dr Mitchell said. “The RACGP supports the House of Representatives review of the frameworks in place that allow such erectile dysfunction clinics to operate. It is of utmost import that health services are delivered in the context of continuous, safety and high quality care.”

“In general terms, impotency clinics routinely prescribe compound medications in the first instance. However, these medications have been demonstrated to be less clinically effective and more expensive than first line industry recommended treatments. These may have adverse impacts on men’s health and wellbeing,” said Dr Nathan Pinskier, who represented the RACGP at the roundtable discussion.

The RACGP believes that patients should be given the option of exploring evidence based, clinically proven treatments; something not offered by impotency clinics, Dr Pinskier said.

“Telemedicine is not necessarily the solution to a problem such as erectile dysfunction, which many men find embarrassing and difficult to discuss. Patients need to be reassured that their confidentiality is assured when they visit a general practitioner, no matter where and in what sort of community they live,” said Dr Pinskier.

Source
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

As for which PDE-5 inhibitor to use, ACP recommends that physicians base the choice on the individual preferences of patients including ease of use, cost of medication, and adverse effects profile.

“The evidence is insufficient to compare the effectiveness or adverse effects of different PDE-5 inhibitors for the treatment of ED because there were only a few head-to-head trials,” explained the lead author of the guideline, Amir Qaseem, MD, PhD, MHA, FACP, senior medical associate at the American College of Physicians.

The guideline authors analyzed evidence gathered from 130 randomized controlled trials that evaluated oral PDE-5 inhibitors alone or combined. Treatment with a PDE-5 inhibitor resulted in statistically significant and clinically relevant improvements in sexual intercourse and erectile function in patients with ED, regardless of the cause (e.g., diabetes, depression, prostate cancer) or baseline severity. The magnitude of benefit increased with severity of ED.

Overall, the evidence showed that PDE-5 inhibitors were relatively well-tolerated and were associated with mild or moderate adverse effects, such as headaches, flushing, upset stomach, and runny nose.

ACP does not recommend for or against routine hormonal blood tests or treatment in the management of patients with ED because the evidence is inconclusive about the effectiveness in patients with low testosterone levels. Physicians should individualize decisions to measure hormone levels based on the clinical symptoms (e.g., decreased libido, premature ejaculation, fatigue, etc.) and physical findings (for example, testicular atrophy, muscle atrophy) that suggest hormonal abnormality.

“Hormonal Testing and Pharmacologic Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction: A Clinical Practice Guideline from the American College of Physicians” appears on the Web site of Annals of Internal Medicine (http://www.annals.org/) and will be printed in the November 3 issue.

About ED

ED can be a persistent inability to achieve or maintain penile erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance, an inconsistent ability to do so, or a tendency to sustain only brief erections. These variations make defining ED and estimating its incidence difficult. Estimates range from 15 million to 30 million in the U.S., depending on the definition used. Estimates from the National Health and Nutrition Survey suggested that the cost of treatment of ED in the U.S. could reach $15 billion if all men sought care.

ED is a common disorder of male sexual function and affects all age groups especially individuals with advanced age, diabetes, vascular diseases, psychiatric disorders, and possibly hypogonadism (low testosterone). ED may be caused by chronic diseases such as obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, or smoking; medications; psychosocial factors; or hormonal abnormalities.

ED lasting for three months is considered a reasonable length of time to warrant evaluation and consideration of treatment.

Source:
Steve Majewski
American College of Physicians

The new report entitled Erectile Dysfunction: Physicians Seek Improvements in Efficacy for Underserved Patients and Product Differentiation on Onset and Duration of Action finds that a therapy that provides greater improvement in erectile function than Levitra in patients with hypertension and that is priced at a five percent discount to Levitra would earn a 50 percent patient share in the United States and a 40 percent patient share in Europe, according to surveyed U.S. primary care physicians and European general practitioners.

Additionally, while there are several second-generation PDE5 inhibitors in clinical trials for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, interviewed experts do not expect these agents to provide efficacy superior to that of currently marketed drugs in this class. The report also finds that limited reimbursement for erectile dysfunction drugs and the availability of less-expensive generic versions of Viagra beginning in 2012, will constrain the uptake of emerging PDE5 inhibitors.

“Most therapies for erectile dysfunction do not qualify for reimbursement by third-party payers,” said Decision Resources Analyst Kathryn Benton, B.S. “As a result, many patients pay out-of-pocket for treatment — this will be among the factors that will cause premium-priced emerging therapies to struggle to capture market share.”

About the Report

Erectile Dysfunction: Physicians Seek Improvements in Efficacy for Underserved Patients and Product Differentiation on Onset and Duration of Action is a DecisionBase 2009 report. DecisionBase 2009 is a decision-support tool that provides in-depth analysis of unmet need, physician expectations of new therapies and commercial dynamics to help pharmaceutical companies optimize their investments in drug development.

The report can be purchased by contacting Decision Resources. Members of the media may request an interview with an analyst.

About Decision Resources

Decision Resources is a world leader in market research publications, advisory services and consulting designed to help clients shape strategy, allocate resources and master their chosen markets. Decision Resources is a Decision Resources, Inc. company.

About Decision Resources, Inc.

Decision Resources, Inc. is a cohesive portfolio of companies that offers best-in-class, high-value information and insights on important sectors of the healthcare industry. Clients rely on this analysis and data to make informed decisions.

All company, brand, or product names contained in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Source: Decision Resources

The new system, tested successfully on a small number of animals, could potentially prevent side effects associated with oral ED medications, if study results can be replicated in humans. That could mean safer and more effective ED therapy for millions of men with heart disease and other health problems affecting erectile function. The study is published today in the online edition of the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Tens of millions of men worldwide have benefited from oral ED medications such as sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra), and tadalafil (Cialis). However, these medications which belong to a class of drugs called phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors have limitations. They can cause systemic side effects that can be serious. These side effects include headache, facial flushing, nasal congestion, upset stomach, abnormal vision as well as isolated reports of hearing and vision loss. Men who’ve recently suffered a heart attack or stroke or have severe heart disease should use these drugs with caution or not at all. In addition, “an estimated 30 to 50 percent of men with ED do not respond to oral use of PDE5 inhibitors,” says senior author Kelvin P. Davies, Ph.D., associate professor of urology at Einstein.

The drug-delivery system, developed by Einstein scientists, consists of nanoparticles each smaller than a grain of pollen that can carry tiny payloads of various drugs or other medically useful substances and release them in a controlled and sustained manner.

The limited number of topical formulations of ED drugs has so far proven ineffective. This study was done to evaluate whether the Einstein nanoparticles, which have been shown to penetrate the skin, might allow the targeted delivery of compounds that treat ED and thereby avoid the drugs’ systemic effects.

An effective topical therapy could be especially significant for those ED patients particularly men with diabetes who have reduced levels of nitric oxide (NO), the signaling molecule that dilates blood vessels responsible for erectile activity. These men, who often aren’t helped by oral PDE5 inhibitor drugs, may benefit from direct application of NO or the PDE5 inhibitors.

The nanoparticles were tested on a total of 18 rats bred to have age-related ED. The rats were divided into three treatment groups. One group of seven rats received nanoparticles encapsulating NO. A second group of five rats received nanoparticles encapsulating NO plus an experimental ED drug called sialorphin (which has a mechanism of action different from PDE5 inhibitors). A third group of six received nanoparticles encapsulating NO plus tadalafil (Cialis).

Five of the seven rats treated with the NO-containing nanoparticles, and all 11 rats treated with nanoparticles encapsulating NO plus sialorphin or tadalafil showed significantly improved erectile function. None of the seven rats in a control group, which received empty nanoparticles, showed any improvement.

“Most of the animals, nearly 90 percent, showed a response to treatment with the nanoparticles,” says co-author Joel M. Friedman, M.D., Ph.D., professor of physiology & biophysics and of medicine. Dr. Friedman developed the nanoparticles with his son Adam Friedman, M.D., chief resident in the division of dermatology of the department of medicine at Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for Einstein.

“The response time to the nanoparticles was very short, just a few minutes, which is basically what people want in an ED medication,” adds Dr. Davies. “In both rats and humans, it can take 30 minutes to one hour for oral ED medications to take effect.”

Postmortem examination of the tissues at the site of administration showed no signs of local inflammation or toxicity. “In addition, when we applied the nanoparticles at therapeutic doses, we found no indication of systemic side effects,” says Dr. Friedman.

The Einstein research team will carry out safety and dosing studies in rats in the coming months. Clinical studies on humans could begin in a few years if animal studies continue to show that the nanoparticle delivery system is safe and effective. But the investigators caution that the time from a proof-of-concept trial in animals to approved use in humans may be a decade or more.

The paper, “Nanoparticles as a novel delivery vehicle for therapeutics targeting erectile dysfunction,” is published in the September 18, 2009 online edition of the Journal of Sexual Medicine. The lead authors are George Han, an M.D.-Ph.D. student at Einstein, and Moses Tar, M.D., assistant professor of urology at Einstein. Dwaraka Srinivasa Rao Kuppam, a technician in the Einstein urology department, Adam Friedman, M.D., of Montefiore Medical Center, and Arnold Melman, M.D., chairman of urology at Einstein, also contributed to the research.

About Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University is one of the nation’s premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. It is home to 2,775 faculty members, 625 M.D. students, 225 Ph.D. students, 125 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 380 postdoctoral research fellows. In 2008, Einstein received more than $130 million in support from the NIH. This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in diabetes, cancer, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Through its extensive affiliation network involving eight hospitals and medical centers in the Bronx, Manhattan and Long Island which includes Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for Einstein the College of Medicine runs one of the largest post-graduate medical training programs in the United States, offering approximately 150 residency programs to more than 2,500 physicians in training

Source: Albert Einstein College of Medicine

The number of those with diabetes covered by Medicare will rise from 8.2 million to 14.6 million, the researchers predict. Medicare spending on diabetes will jump from $45 billion to $171 billion.

“If we don’t change our diet and exercise habits or find new, more effective and less expensive ways to prevent and treat diabetes, we will find ourselves in a lot of trouble as a population,” said the study’s lead author Elbert Huang, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago.

“Without significant changes in public or private strategies,” the authors wrote, “this population and cost growth are expected to add a significant strain to an overburdened health care system.”

The new estimates are far more rigorous, and more troubling, than previous predictions.

* A 1991 study stated that the number of Americans with diabetes would double, from 6.5 million in 1987 to 11.6 million by 2030, which, as it turns out, is less than half the number of cases in 2009. “These projections stress the importance of prevention and education,” the authors declare. “The requisite change in life style, exercise, or nutrition habits will be more difficult than if a drug is developed for treatment.”

* A 1998 study foretold more cases sooner: 22 million US cases by 2025. “Worldwide surveillance of diabetes is a necessary first step towards its prevention and control, which is now recognized as an urgent priority.”

* A 2001 study predicted 29 million cases by 2050. The authors of that study warned that their projection may be “more alarming than previously believed,” adding that the “economic cost of diabetes is already staggering.”

* A retrospective 2008 study confirmed the predicted trends, showing that the number of Americans diagnosed with diabetes rose steadily from 10 million in 1994, to 14 million in 2000, to 19 million in 2007, and the annual cost–just for drugs–for people affected by diabetes nearly doubled in six years, rising from $6.7 billion in 2001 to $12.5 billion in 2007.

The most recent and alarming prediction may even be a bit conservative. It is based on the assumption that the prevalence of the overweight and obese in the United States will remain relatively stable.

Although obesity levels have gone up steadily for many years, the authors predict that the obesity levels for the non-diabetic population will top out in the next decade, then decline slightly, from 30 percent today to about 27 percent by 2033. “Despite recent trends in obesity rates,” Huang explained, “we anticipate that the population will reach an equilibrium in obesity levels, since we cannot all become obese.”

The 2009 Diabetes Care study places increased emphasis on changes in demographics, advances in treatment, and the natural history of this disease, including the timing and frequency of its costly complications. Much of the increase in cases and in costs will be driven by aging “baby boomers,” the 77 million Americans born between 1946 and 1957 who are approaching the age of retirement, diabetes complications, and federal health insurance.

Various characteristics of the modern natural history of diabetes and its treatments contribute to increasing the costs of diabetes for the population. People with diabetes are now being diagnosed at younger ages. Thanks to better treatments, they are living longer. This leads to a longer history of disease, opportunities for more aggressive therapies, and time to accumulate complications, which are costly to treat. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, end-stage kidney disease and amputations.

The study was done to help forecast the impact of alternative policy scenarios as Congress debates changes in the health care system, particularly to Medicare.

“The public policy implications are enormous,” said co-author Michael O’Grady, PhD, senior fellow at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. “This a serious challenge to Medicare and every other health plan in the country. The cost of doing nothing is the significant increase in the pain and suffering of America’s population and a financial burden that will threaten the financial viability of public and private insurers alike.”

“We built this model to improve the budgetary and health outcome information available to federal policymakers,” the researchers explained. It provides a rigorous assessment of the future burden of diabetes and can also be used to provide estimates of the impact of alternative policy scenarios. They predict that the growth in diabetes costs will exceed current projections of total Medicare spending.

Source: John Easton
University of Chicago Medical Center

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of diabetes cases nationwide increased by 90 percent over the past decade. In Philadelphia alone, 11 percent of people have the disease, and that’s 3 percent higher than the national average. In 2008, the estimated direct and indirect cost of diagnosed diabetes was $174 billion. Not only do costly complications of diabetes, such as heart disease, amputation, and blindness have a significant impact on the U.S. health system and its rising costs, but some complications can lead to death. In 2007, for example, diabetes killed nearly 300,000 people across the U.S.

“Although chronic diseases like diabetes are among the most common and costly health problems, they are also among the most preventable,” said Joseph A. Frick, president and chief executive officer, IBC. “Our sponsorship of Step Out and the enthusiastic participation of our associates, in addition to our strong focus every day on obesity and diabetes-related prevention, management, and support programs, is a clear demonstration of how we are here for our members every step of the way.”

Prevention is key

Though type 1 diabetes can often be tied to genetics, type 2 is largely attributed to lifestyle choices. Sadly, a trend of unhealthy lifestyles is plaguing children and adults alike. According to the CDC, in the last two decades type 2 diabetes has been reported among U.S. children and adolescents with increasing frequency. Health care providers are finding more and more children with type 2 diabetes — a disease usually diagnosed in adults 40 years or older.

“Research shows that as weight increases to levels of ‘overweight’ and ‘obese’ so do the chances of developing coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes,” said Richard L. Snyder, M.D., senior vice president Health Services, IBC. “It is imperative that children develop good eating habits and get the exercise they need to live active, healthy lifestyles and avoid these diseases and their serious complications. We are proud of the prevention programs we have in place to tackle childhood obesity and diabetes.”

Because childhood obesity is on the rise and is a leading contributor to type 2 diabetes in children, IBC introduced Health eTools for Schools, a unique, web-based program designed to help area schools promote student wellness and combat childhood obesity. Now, further plans are in place to help promote better nutrition and physical activity planning in schools. One example is the Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Education’s Active Schools initiative. Through this program, sponsors like IBC contribute grants to local schools that must use the funding for physical activities and programs for students.

Other Blue partners throughout the country are getting involved in various initiatives as well. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association recently launched a pilot program in five states called the Pediatric Obesity and Diabetes Prevention Pilot Program. Doctors within the pilot program receive prevention toolkits containing reference materials and educational, behavior-changing tools to share with patients and parents.

In addition to prevention-related programs, IBC continues to support members that are already living with diabetes through a variety of programs. The award-winning Connections(SM) Health Management Program targets members with diabetes and other chronic conditions through one-on-one support with health coaches. IBC also offers six free nutritional counseling visits and fitness reimbursements for logging time at the gym to help members form or maintain healthy eating habits and exercise routines — both of which can help members better manage, control, and prevent chronic diseases like diabetes.

About Independence Blue Cross

Independence Blue Cross is a leading health insurer in southeastern Pennsylvania. Nationwide, Independence Blue Cross and its affiliates provide coverage to nearly 3.3 million people. For more than 70 years, Independence Blue Cross has offered high-quality health care coverage tailored to meet the changing needs of members, employers, and health care professionals. Independence Blue Cross’s HMO and PPO health care plans have consistently received the highest ratings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

Independence Blue Cross supports comprehensive health care reform that would extend coverage to all Americans, reduce costs, and improve quality. We also advocate reform that builds on the current employer-based system that currently serves 170 million Americans.

Source: Independence Blue Cross

The expert group evaluated existing scientific information and agreed upon practical recommendations for different groups of diabetes patients with regard to timings, frequencies and target values for SMBG, which go beyond current national and international guidelines. In general, diabetologists recommend an overall target of 6.5 percent for the HbA1c value for most patients. According to the consensus group, this target should be modified based on individual patient needs: For women who are pregnant or are planning to have a baby, a value of less than six percent is recommended. Patients with a high risk of hypoglycaemia or with unawareness of hypoglycaemia should not get over seven or 7.5 percent. Lower levels should be aimed for, but only if they can be achieved safely, since severe hypoglycaemia should be avoided in all patients to reduce the risk of severe complications.

With regard to overall targets for preprandial blood glucose, a value of less than six mmol/L respectively 108 mg/dL is the average. This target may be modified for individual patients like children, “high-risk” patients with known coronary artery disease or severe hypoglycaemia as well as pregnant women. The value for postprandial blood glucose should not exceed 7.8 mmol/L respectively 140 mg/dL. Here, testing is advised to be performed two hours after the meal and stressed as one of the key elements of optimal SMBG.

Also the recommended measuring frequency and timing depends on individual conditions such as the patient’s treatment regimen. Experts differentiate between six patients’ groups. Newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetics, for example, should test their blood glucose values three to five times a week to learn about the effects of lifestyle and medications on their metabolism. Instead, patients undergoing an intensified insulin treatment as well as “high risk” patients should check their values several times a day, especially postprandial or at nighttimes. For those experiencing severe hypoglycaemia even an increased frequency of nocturnal testing is recommended.

As a general rule, the consensus paper states that individual glycaemic targets should always be agreed upon between patient and the healthcare professional. Discussing the current results are advised to take place every three to six months, including pre and postprandial blood glucose values, HbA1c targets as well as lifestyle changes or circumstances complicating the effective control of diabetes, such as pregnancy, severe hypoglycaemic episodes or altered medication orders. “Changes in any of these factors should trigger an immediate adaptation of target values to ensure optimal treatment outcome and avoid late complications”, says Professor Schnell.

About Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care

Bayer HealthCare, Diabetes Care as part of the Medical Care Division supports customers in 100 countries and stands in a long tradition of leading the way in diabetes care product innovation since the introduction of CLINITEST reagent tablets in 1941. The face of diabetes care was changed in 1969 when the first portable blood glucose meter and test strips were introduced. Certain features of Bayer’s blood glucose monitors such as No Coding technology and no interference from maltose and galactose make diabetes management easier. Today, Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care offers an unparalleled choice in diabetes management systems and comprehensive support including education, tools and resources designed to simplify life with diabetes.

Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care global headquarters is located in Tarrytown, New York, in the United States and operates as part of Bayer HealthCare LLC, a member of the worldwide Bayer HealthCare group. The Headquarters for the region Europe-MERA is located in Basel as part of Bayer Consumer Care AG, in Basel.

About Bayer HealthCare

The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Bayer Schering Pharma, Consumer Care and Medical Care divisions. Bayer HealthCare’s aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide.

(1) O. Schnell et al., Diabetes, Stoffwechsel und Herz, 2009, 4, 285-289

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here.

Source: Bayer HealthCare