FreeStyle Libre is now available in Vietnam across multiple medical equipment stores, pharmacies, drugstore chains and Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre official online store on Lazada. (Photo: Abbott Vietnam)HCM City (VNS/VNA) – introduced FreeStyle Libre
system, the world’s leading glucose monitoring technology, for people (above
the age of four) living with diabetes in Vietnam on March 12.
The new system is expected to help millions of Vietnamese people with diabetes
better manage their glucose without painful finger sticks and improve quality
of life.
“Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre is the first-of-its-kind technology for people
with diabetes that eliminates the need for finger sticks, requires no finger
stick calibration, and continuously reads glucose levels through a small, disposable
3.5-centimetre sensor that can be worn on the back of the upper arm for up to
14 days,” said Dr. Mahmood Kazemi, Divisional Vice President, Global
Medical & Scientific Affairs, Abbott.
The sensor measures glucose in interstitial fluid through a small (5.5mm long)
filament that is inserted just under the skin and held in place with a small
adhesive pad. A quick scan of the sensor with a reader provides a real-time
glucose reading and a detailed picture of a person’s glucose levels, without
the need for painful, routine finger sticks or daily calibration, enabling
meaningful lifestyle and therapy interventions with actionable insights.
“With traditional glucose monitoring systems, people with diabetes often
have to prick their finger a number of times throughout the day, to test their
glucose levels. With Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre, people now have a convenient,
less painful alternative to get a glucose reading that provides actionable
insights,” said Kazemi.
Kazemi added that clinical trials and real-world data showed that FreeStyle
Libre system users have improved glucose control, decreased time in
hyperglycemia (high glucose) and hypoglycemia (abnormal low glucose) as well as
reduced hospitalisations, HbA1C levels and better quality of life.
“Vietnamese people living with diabetes now have a choice of managing diabetes
better by making adjustments to diet, medication or lifestyle, as FreeStyle
Libre provides actionable information including current glucose levels, 8-hour
glucose history, a trend arrow indicating how the glucose is moving as well as
time-in-range. All of this without routine finger-pricking and other hassles
associated with traditional monitoring,” said Douglas Kuo, General Manager of
Abbott in Vietnam.
According to the National Diabetes Survey in 2008, up to 63-75 percent of
diabetes patients do not know their disease status in the community. The number
of people living with diabetes with well-managed glucose level remains very
low, standing at 36 percent or one of three meeting the HbA1C target of below
7.0 percent.
Prof. Dr. Tran Huu Dang, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Diabetes and
Endocrinology, formerly Vice Rector of Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy
said that proper and regular glucose management could help people with diabetes
adjust their lifestyle in time and at the same time provide doctors insight
information to adjust medical treatment.
Continuous glucose monitoring is recommended in Vietnam’s Ministry of Health’s
national guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus
for people who desire to better manage their glucose levels and for
hospitalised patients with required glucose monitoring, according to Dang.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, 463 million adults (aged
20-79); or one in 11 adults, lived with diabetes worldwide, but nearly half of
them were undiagnosed. In Vietnam, the number of people living with diabetes is
forecast to jump from 3.8 million to 6.3 million by 2045 by the World Diabetes
Federation (IDF)./.
Source: VietnamPlus
