Fero Industries Inc., focused on diabetes prevention and treatments, has announced that Merck SA de CV has increased its Sucanon promotional campaign across Mexico to include physician distributed sample packages. Four tablet sample packages of Sucanon will be provided to patients at no-cost based on the physician's discretion to raise awareness and encourage long-term customer acceptance of the product.

“The industry standard practice of providing no-cost samples to select patients through licensed physicians is the most cost-effective way for us reach and directly influence our potential Sucanon user base,” said Luis M Lopez, chief operating officer of Fero Industries, Inc., and president of Pharmaroth SA, the Company's Mexican subsidiary. “The four tablet -- two day supply will be more than enough to provide each pre-diabetic or type-2 diabetic patient an immediate sense of the positive effects of adding Sucanon to their daily treatment. We expect many of them will become long-term Sucanon users.”

Sucanon is approved as an over-the-counter (OTC) remedy for type-2 diabetes by regulatory authorities in Mexico and is distributed there under an exclusive agreement with Merck SA de CV (Merck SA de CV is the Mexico and Latin America sales and marketing organization of German pharmaceutical and chemical giant, Merck KgaA).

Commercial sales of Sucanon began in January 2011 in Mexico. Mexico has one of the largest and fastest growing diabetic populations in the world, estimated at 15 per cent of the total population. This indicates over 16 million diagnosed cases of diabetes, up seven fold since 1990. Diabetes is now the leading cause of death in Mexico and costs the country more than one-third of its total public health care budget annually.

Sucanon is one of only three approved drugs in the multi-billion dollar market for a class of diabetic medications called “insulin sensitizers”. Pre-clinical and clinical studies show that Sucanon and other insulin sensitizers lower a patient's blood sugar by increasing the muscle, fat and liver's sensitivity to the body's own naturally produced insulin. Sucanon has been approved for prescription sale in China and Peru. Sucanon is also approved as an OTC treatment for type-2 diabetes by regulatory authorities in Mexico, and is distributed there under an exclusive agreement with Merck SA de CV.