Merck Serono meeting on diabetes

While the prevalence of diabetes is increasing throughout the world, the developing countries will bear the greatest burden of this disease. For example, the number of people with diabetes will increase by about 90% in Africa by 2025. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) figures report that at least 194-million people worldwide suffer from diabetes, with the incidence of the disease rapidly increasing. It is estimated that by the year 2025, this number will double.

With this in mind, Merck Serono brought distinguished international opinion leader in the field of Endocrinology, Prof Charles Reasner, to South African shores. During his visit he staged a national lecture tour aimed at the medical fraternity where he unpacked the disease and put treatment options on the table, with special interest paid to the benefits of using fixed-combination drug therapy like that offered by Glucovance®, a Merck Serono prescription product.

A Professor of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Sciences Centre in San Antonio and Medical Director at the Texas Diabetes Institute in the USA, Reasner one of the largest diabetes treatment and research centre in the USA. As such Reasner is well versed in the treatment of the disease that in 2005, plagued 20.8-million Americans at a cost of US$132 billion annually.