Sanofi unveils new digital diabetes patient support program

Sanofi Kenya has launched its first Digital Diabetes Patient Support Program (PSP) in Nairobi, Kenya in partnership with CheckUps Medical Center, a multidisciplinary rapid outpatient center that offers remote diagnostic services and education programs for patient with chronic diseases. The program branded SPEED (Sanofi Patient Enlightenment and Empowerment Drive) seeks to promote safe and effective use of medicines, especially for TYPE 2 patients with Diabetes who are on insulin treatment.

SPEED was launched in response to the global fight against the rising burden of chronic diseases on households in Kenya. In Kenya, 45% of adult diabetics do not adhere to oral diabetic medication1 and 72% of Kenyan children & adolescents with type 1 diabetes have poor control and develop complications, notably, kidney disease, cataracts, hard to treat wounds, and even diabetic comas2. Complications of diabetes are among the leading causes of avoidable hospitalizations and preventable death.

“As a company, we are committed to empowering life. SPEED introduces a heightened standard of care to ensure that patients with Type 2 Diabetes have access to adequate information, support, care and medicines in an affordable efficient manner”, said  Mr. Peter Munyasi, Country Chair for Sanofi Kenya and General Manager, East Africa Hub.

The WHO Global Action Plan to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by 25% by 2025 calls for early detection, treatment and ongoing support of patients with NCDs yet there remains a systemic lack of the clinical workforce and technology necessary to support the recurring needs of patients with chronic diseases in a sustainable way.

He further expressed the strategic commitment of Sanofi to embrace technology solutions that foster enhanced access to care, medicines and support, and lauded the partnership with CheckUps Medical, as he recognized their outstanding efforts to build a technology ecosystem that enables patients to be conveniently monitored daily in their pursuit to achieve better health outcomes.

Further to that Dr. Isabelle Njoki, Medical Science Liaison for Sanofi who is coordinating SPEED in Kenya emphasized that PSPs have been shown to improve the adherence to insulin treatment in Type 2 diabetes patients, save on the cost of care and prevent hospitalizations due to complications, especially hypoglycemia.

PSPs are now a standard of care to help patients avoid common mistakes like not knowing how to store their medicines, how to manage their doses in response to blood sugar levels and lifestyle changes. SPEED will support 1,000 patients with Type 2 diabetes in Nairobi and its environs in 2019.

Patients will learn more about their disease, experience high-touch daily remote monitoring and benefit from access to medicines and supplies at the most affordable rates to achieve optimal adherence to care. Lessons learnt from SPEED in Nairobi, Kenya will enable CheckUps to expand the program to other underserved towns in Kenya and across East Africa.

As Dr. Moka Lantum, CEO of Sagitarix Ltd, the parent company of CheckUps Medical noted, SPEED is a protocol-driven program to help patients reverse their Type 2 diabetes. Patients who voluntarily consent to join the program will be enrolled in a six-session 6-month program and will be given a digital diabetes monitoring device, GlucoMe™, that links the patient’s phone to the diabetic nurse educators at CheckUps and their specialist.

GlucoMe™ automatically sends the blood sugar readings to the CheckUps control tower and the care team will be notified in case the patient is missing measurements, experiences a severe low or high blood sugar level, or experiences an adverse event with their medication.

In addition to the education, patients will benefit from access to medication and routine tests at affordable rates at CheckUps. By the end of the program, patients should achieve the desired level of blood sugar control and spend less on their care.