Apollo Hospitals and Sanofi have entered into collaboration on the expansion of Apollo Sugar Clinics, which provide integrated diabetes care programmes in India.  Through this collaboration, Apollo and Sanofi plan to leverage their respective expertise in diabetes to provide patients with access to comprehensive educational resources, treatment and care programmes that can help patients better manage their diabetes. The first wave of this collaboration will focus on the establishment of 50 Apollo Sugar Clinics.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for more than 36 million deaths each year with close to 80 per cent of them being recorded in low and middle income countries. Further, the economic burden of NCDs in India is estimated to be greater than $6 trillion, for the period 2012-2030. Diabetes, a prominent NCD, has afflicted close to 382 million people globally with India alone accounting for over 65 million people with diabetes and 77.2 million people diagnosed as being pre-diabetic. The number of people with diabetes in India is expected to rise to 109 million by 2035.

In line with concentrated efforts towards controlling the burgeoning diabetes epidemic both globally and in India, the Apollo Sugar Clinics endeavour is to make diabetes ‘disease-free’ by offering easy access to an integrated diabetes care solution within a clinical infrastructure, which promotes early detection and treatment of diabetes and associated complications, strengthened by lifestyle management and behaviour change programmes. All these together can lead to better compliance with necessary treatments and potentially lead to better patient outcomes.

Commenting on the collaboration, Dr. Prathap Reddy, chairman Apollo Hospitals Group shared “Over the years, Apollo Hospitals has benchmarked global best practices in quality healthcare delivery with stringent alignment to approved standards and protocols. With the increasing burden of diabetes in our society, we need to act quickly and with a sense of purpose to arrest the disease from claiming more lives. I am confident that through Apollo Sugar Clinics we will be able to offer patients advanced care and counselling that will help them better manage their condition. This is a good start towards improving the diabetes infrastructure in India and I am delighted to be partnering with Sanofi, a global leader in diabetes management. Our shared vision will shape a new approach to diabetes care that can benefit patients in India and other parts of the world.”

“Sanofi has a heritage of nearly 100 years in developing treatments for diabetes and understands the impact that local expertise and innovative care models can have for patients who are managing their diabetes,” said Christopher A. Viehbacher, chief executive officer, Sanofi. “By joining together to expand the Apollo Sugar Clinics, Sanofi and Apollo are demonstrating our commitment to delivering a superior patient experience that offers support at various stages of the diabetes care journey and aims to reduce the burden of diabetes.”

While the population of people with diabetes in India is very high, many patients are either unaware of their condition, or are poorly controlled. They need better awareness about the disease, its complications, management and must also have access to the latest treatment options. In this regard, Sangita Reddy, chairperson, Apollo Sugar and joint managing director, Apollo Hospitals said “Apollo has presented at the American Diabetes Association and been recognised for delivering clinical outcomes in managing diabetes, some of which were attempted and successful for the first time in India. However, we as a country are still battling to shed the image of being considered the diabetes capital of the world. We understand that a diagnosis of diabetes and the pursuit of necessary lifestyle changes can be daunting for patients. So our aim is to help patients get access to the right treatment and counselling for them to know that diabetes can be managed. At Apollo Sugar Clinics, a patient with diabetes has access to information, co-morbidities management, counselling, care and treatment. This really makes the transition much easier. We are keen to take Apollo’s comprehensive offering to many more parts of India.”

Apollo Sugar will be a part of Apollo Health & Lifestyle, the arm of Apollo that is driving its rapid growth in primary and secondary healthcare. In conclusion, Gagan Bhalla, chief executive officer, Apollo Sugar said, “Studies show that the average person with diabetes in urban India spends approx. Rs. 30,000 per year on treatment. Moreover, the cost of late diagnosis of diabetes is known to result in 10 times to 18 times higher spending these kinds of staggering numbers can become a substantial financial drain and even a cause for indebtedness for families. At Apollo Sugar, we believe that by offering the best clinical care delivered in our conveniently located facilities, combined with a comprehensive, 360-degree patient lifestyle management  programme, we can enable patients to manage diabetes in a more efficient and effective manner while striving to achieve a ‘disease-free’ lifestyle”.