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Canadian Diabetes Association Applauds New Brunswick Government for Supporting People with Diabetes
Fredericton, New Brunswick (August 8, 2012) – The Canadian Diabetes Association applauds the Government of New Brunswick for increasing access to insulin glargine, a long-acting insulin also known as Lantus for people living with diabetes in the province.
“The addition of Lantus to the provincial drug formulary provides more options for people with diabetes for whom other insulin treatments have not been effective in controlling blood glucose levels,” said Jake Reid, Director, Government Relations & Advocacy, Atlantic Canada, Canadian Diabetes Association. “We are pleased with the commitment from the Government of New Brunswick and this is great news for people living with diabetes.”
Previous Association research estimates that the direct and indirect financial impact of diabetes in New Brunswick currently costs the province $347 million per year—a cost estimated to increase to $427million by 2020.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas to control the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood. For people living with diabetes, the pancreas does not produce any or enough insulin, or is unable to effectively use the insulin it does produce. As a result, glucose builds up in the bloodstream, potentially leading to serious health problems such as blindness, heart disease, kidney problems, amputation, nerve damage and erectile dysfunction.
It is estimated that in New Brunswick, there are currently 67,000 people diagnosed with diabetes (8.8 per cent of the population), and this will rise to 100,000 (12.7 per cent of the population) by 2020. This challenge becomes magnified when considering the rate of those with undiagnosed diabetes in New Brunswick has been estimated to be as high as 30 per cent.
“We look forward to working together with the government to better serve the needs of New Brunswickers living with diabetes,” added Reid.
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About the Canadian Diabetes Association
The Canadian Diabetes Association is a registered charitable organization, leading the fight against diabetes by helping people with diabetes live healthy lives while we work to find a cure. Our professional staff and more than 20,000 volunteers provide education and services to help people in their daily fight against the disease, advocate on behalf of people with diabetes for the opportunity to achieve their highest quality of life, and break ground towards a cure. Please visit diabetes.ca, join us on facebook.com/CanadianDiabetesAssociation, follow us on Twitter @DiabetesAssoc, or call 1-800-BANTING (226-8464).
For additional information or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Sherry Calder
Manager, Marketing & Communications (Atlantic Canada)
Canadian Diabetes Association
T: (902) 453-3529
E:
Randi Garcha
National Manager, Media Relations & External Communications
Canadian Diabetes Association
T: (416) 408-7071
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