A Look to the Future of Diabetes Care

As I return from the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 58th Annual Meeting in Stockholm, having been truly inspired by conversations with leading healthcare professionals on the latest research & innovations in diabetes, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the future of diabetes care.

Diabetes is a worldwide epidemic that is growing faster than healthcare providers can keep up with. Many millions of people living with diabetes have uncontrolled high blood sugar, which can lead to complications, with the potential to overwhelm healthcare systems.

There were two main questions that I asked the experts on the congress floor: how can we go beyond medicines to help change the way clinicians and people living with diabetes make decisions about their diabetes? And how can we help shape the future of this chronic disease and positively impact health outcomes around the world?

My conclusion to their answers can be summarized in one concept: personalized care powered by digital health.

What does personalized care powered by digital health mean for us at Sanofi?

At Sanofi, we believe in a personalized care approach at each stage of the patient’s journey, with the appropriate combination of treatments, education and technology. ?We think that data analytics and technology can enhance diabetes medications, enabling physicians to generate better insights into the health of each individual person living with diabetes.

By coupling data & technology with our comprehensive insulin-based portfolio, we hope to help people with diabetes achieve better health outcomes. However, we understand this is not an easy process to tackle alone. That is why we have established partnerships with different entities, such as Evidation and Dario, to better understand the needs of those living with diabetes, beyond their medication. It is in such topics like behavioral science and technology adoption where we see untapped opportunities for diabetes management.

The better we can understand and support the person above and beyond a specific health condition– accounting for their concerns, their challenges, their lives – the better we can aim to turn technology and digital health offerings into true miracles of science that help improve people’s lives.

From “AI-powered big data” to the individual

Another relevant topic for us at Sanofi is better understanding and maximizing the role that artificial intelligence (AI) could play for the future of personalized diabetes management. AI-powered systems could be used to analyze round-the-clock blood glucose data of millions of people, which could then be then taylored into advise and decisions for each individual.

Where do we stand today?

As we look to the future of diabetes, we’re continuing to build on our holistic approach to bringing diabetes under control through our comprehensive portfolio of solutions, including medicines, education programs, services, apps, and connected devices. ?My pledge to the diabetes community is that: we won’t settle.

?After these past days at EASD, I am once again reassured that there is so much potential for the future of diabetes care. By harnessing our soon-to-be 100 years of experience in insulin manufacturing and development, we are committed to helping shape the next 100 years.[1] We aim to help change the way chronic diseases are controlled, not just with medicines, but with a holistic approach centered around peoples’ lives and well-being – powered by innovative digital technologies.

1.??????Sanofi’s heritage in diabetes and insulin production dates back to 1923.