A $2 million diabetes research programme has commenced in India in partnership with Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF) and Emory University to carry out advanced research studies on diabetes. The study will take place at the MRDF in Chennai.

Emory University has contributed $800,000 and MDRF has matched in kind contribution, and also got a grant from IDF of $4,00,000, for study on prevention of diabetes trial and onset of Type II diabetes in young people which is on the rise.

The study which is being carried out in Chennai has screened 1,500 people and recruited 600 persons with pre-diabetic condition whose fasting blood sugar readings are between 100 and 125 or 2 hour glucose of 140 to 199. The pre-diabetic category have 7-9 percent chances of becoming diabetes but early intervention of life style management  could prevent the onset, Dr K M Venkat Narayan, Hubert Professor, Global Health & Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University told Pharmabiz.

Several years of studies with MDRF could was helpful to identify and assess the young Type II diabetes cases and understand the cause of the conditions, he said.

There is also a component of training in which the two teams are looking at as prevention, quicker diagnosis and early treatment intervention need considerable expertise, stated Dr Narayan.

The key issue in the treatment of diabetes is that existing treatments are not being administered to the full potential. There is a serious lack of awareness among the patients to identify the condition of diabetes early as it becomes difficult to control the condition in spite of availability of advanced drugs. Indian researchers should look at options for faster diagnosis as more than 50 per cent of the patients are not aware that they are suffering from diabetes, informed Dr Narayan.

Current drug options include insulin and oral medication which include metformin, pioglitazones and acarbose. The emerging new drug therapy may be use of DPP-4 inhibitors which are a class of oral anti-diabetes medicines. Specialists need to judiciously prescribe a combination of anti diabetes formulations, to keep the complications at bay. “This is where India needs a higher investments coming in from the government on research in diabetes. Presently much of these international grants like IDF and National Institute of Health are funding studies on Indian diabetic patients,” stated Dr Narayan.