Addressing the EU diabetes epidemic –Partnership opportunities between Authorities & Pharma

Abstract:

Globally, 4.6 million deaths are attributable to diabetes annually and in some countries children and young people die for lack of insulin without ever being diagnosed. Diabetes ranks in the top 10 causes of disability worldwide and undermines productivity and human development. If no action is taken, the number of people with diabetes is predicted to rise from over 366 million in 2011 to 552 million by 2030 or to one adult in ten. No country and no sector of any society are immune. The challenge is to reduce the human and financial costs through early diagnosis and effective management and to prevent new cases of diabetes developing in so far as this is possible. Early death is only one component of lost income and many people with diabetes suffer from potentially avoidable disabling complications preventing them from working. This represents a substantial loss to the economy and significant expenditures to the social security systems. The diabetes care is a very complex issue with sub – stantial medical, societal and economical aspects; therefore an effective solution of diabetes needs the strong involvement of all key stakeholders: the medical science, authorities, pharma companies and associations. These players’ role is complementary to each other; therefore a full cooperation among them is a must to provide a complex solution to the complex issue of diabetes.