In order to monitor patient's sugar levels comprehensively for better diagnostic and therapeutic outcomes for effective diabetes management and treatment, Abbott has launched a glucose assessment device for the first time in India to empower doctors to help their patients manage their diabetes effectively.

Having launched in Europe six months ago, glucose monitoring technology introduced by Abbott in India is the professional version of its Flash Glucose Monitoring System for diabetics.

The technology is equipped with a software that can generate reports to provide Ambulatory Glucose Profile (AGP) graph, a visual snapshot, which helps the doctors easily understand when sugar levels go high and low (hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic) over a typical 24 hour period, identify when patient presents hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic trends, detect overnight hypoglycemia trends and identify postprandial (sugar levels after taking food) glucose spikes.

This data can help doctors have more productive discussions with their patients, make more informed treatment decisions and modify treatment accordingly to suit a patient’s individual lifestyle.

“There is a significantly high number of people with diabetes in India who have poor sugar control despite everything that they do to control it,” says Dr Shashank Joshi, president, Association of Physicians of India. “Current diabetes monitoring tools are limiting since they do not reveal a complete picture of the glucose fluctuations that a person goes through during a day. The reports from Abbott's Flash Glucose Monitoring System provide me with a complete glucose profile that will help me to make more informed treatment decisions, which in turn will help my patients to better manage their diabetes, " he adds.

The system continuously measures glucose in interstitial fluid through a small (5mm long, 0.4mm wide) filament that is inserted just under the skin. It records glucose levels every 15 minutes, capturing up to 1340 glucose readings over 14 days, thus giving the treating doctor comprehensive data for a complete glucose profile of their patient. After 14 days, the person returns to the doctor's office, where the doctor uses a Flash Glucose Monitoring reader to scan the sensor and download the glucose results that are stored in the sensor in just five seconds. Scanning can take place while the sensor is under clothing, making scanning more discreet and convenient.  

Abbott's Flash Glucose Monitoring System consists of a small and round sensor. A doctor applies the discreet, water-resistant and disposable sensor on the back of the upper arm of a person with diabetes. The sensor is held in place with a self-adhesive pad and remains on the back of the arm for up to 14 days, requiring no patient interaction with the sensor or finger-prick calibration. Once the reader has downloaded the glucose data from the sensor, the doctor then transfers the data from the reader into a computer.

“Abbott is at the forefront of healthcare innovation, helping people live healthier,” says Dilip Rajan, country head of Abbott's diabetes care unit in India. “Customer insights on the shortcomings associated with current monitoring tools guided the development of the Flash Glucose Monitoring System. This technology will assist doctors manage diabetes of their patients better. We are excited that India is the first country globally to launch the professional version of the flash glucose monitoring technology."

India’s population living with diabetes today is 65.1 million, and that number is expected to cross 100 million by 2030. Poor diabetes control, a factor that has been observed in the Indian population with diabetes, puts them at increased risk of health complications including nerve problems, heart diseases, retinopathy and foot ulcers.

"India now carries 20 per cent of the global burden of diabetes. There is an immense need to help people in India better manage their diabetes, enabling them to live healthier lives," said Robert Ford, senior vice president, Diabetes Care, Abbott.

The recent Abbott Sugar Survey conducted in partnership with the Association of Physicians of India showed that 90% of people surveyed with uncontrolled diabetes [higher than 7 HbA1c] in India continue to perceive that they have control over their glucose levels, despite facts suggesting otherwise.