Portability Crucial for Diabetes Care

Portability is crucial for diabetes care.
Diabetes is growing at a faster pace than any other disease in the USA. However, total sales of blood glucose testing kits, lancets/devices and other testing accessories in food, drug and mass merchandise outlets (excluding Wal-Mart) have steadily declined over the 52 weeks ending July 10, 2005, falling 30%, 25% and 38%, respectively, according to research figures provided by Chicago-based Information Resources Inc. (IRI).
People are buying these products, explained Gregg Johnso, vice president of consumer health care at HDI, however, they are not buying them in traditional retail formats. “Mail order is growing three times faster than any other segment of the category,” he reports. “Any time you’re talking about a maintenance drug taken over the course of a lifetime, mail order is a viable option.” And who hasn’t seen actor Wilford Brimley on TV touting the benefits of mail order for diabetes testing products for diabetics?
And the good news doesn’t stop there. Last month, HDI became the first manufacturer – branded or private label – to introduce a portable blood glucose monitor. Designed for use when the diabetic is not at homen, the co-branded SideKick is small enough to fit inside a woman’s evening bag or a man’s pocket. “It’s a quick, discreet way to take a test in places many patients simply wouldn’t have before,” says Johnso, who describes the new item as “the world’s smallest blood glucose monitor on top of a vial of 50 test strips.”