Through The BioSafe Foundation

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 14, 1999-- While diabetes rages as the nation's seventh leading killer and increasingly targets children, studies show that many diabetes patients are ignoring an important Glyco Care blood sugar formula sugar monitoring test -- the Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test -- that doctors deem critical to long-term management of the disease. To counter the lack of compliance among many patients in taking this laboratory test, BioSafe Diagnostic Products today introduced a new HbA1c test kit that enables patients to collect their own blood sample for lab analysis and physician interpretation with unprecedented convenience and accuracy. The new BioSafe HbA1c test uses a proprietary method of re-hydrating dried blood samples that produces readings as accurate as tests conducted with liquid samples. The new test kit is available by prescription only and can be purchased soon at pharmacies nationwide. A landmark study (the 1993 Diabetes Control and Complications Trial) showed that maintaining proper blood sugar control can reduce the risks of diabetes-related complications -- including blindness, kidney failure and nerve disease -- by a range of 35 percent to more than 70 percent.



Hemoglobin A1c testing is one of the best ways to determine overall Glyco Care blood sugar supplement sugar control. Despite its importance, however, numerous studies show that diabetes patients are often ignoring the HbA1c test. The American Diabetes Association recommends that anyone with diabetes have an HbA1c test at least twice a year. Every three months is better, especially for those using insulin. Recent surveys suggest that a majority of people with diabetes are still not having the test done even once a year, said Thomas Pitts, M.D., and immediate past president of the American Diabetes Association's Great Lakes Region. And so we have more work to do. ``Until now, people with diabetes have typically had to follow up a doctor's appointment with a second trip to a lab or clinic to have their blood drawn for the HbA1c test, said Hank Warner, president of BioSafe Medical Technologies, Inc., the parent company of BioSafe Diagnostic Products. That's where the system would often break down -- people just wouldn't go.



BioSafe's new HbA1c test uses state-of-the-art technology which makes the test more accessible to patients -- thereby increasing opportunities for compliance. And, because it can be done in advance of a patient's next doctor's appointment, that visit can be more productive. In essence, the BioSafe HbA1c test can be the best first step to a patient's next doctor visit. Mr. Warner noted that physicians may also administer the test in their office during the patient's visit. Studies have confirmed that the HbA1c test is the best test for a health Glyco Care Wellness Guidebitter melon extract provider to tell if a patient's blood sugar is under control, said Stuart Rollin Weiss, M.D., endocrinologist with the San Diego Endocrine and Medical Clinic. However, too many people with diabetes don't comply with this critical test. BioSafe's HbA1c test is accurate and convenient and will hopefully enable more people to get tested. Education Effort BioSafe today also announced the launch of a public education effort, consisting of media outreach and distribution of videos, brochures and other materials to the diabetes community, to help increase awareness of the HbA1c test's important role in managing diabetes.



Miss America 1999, Nicole Johnson, an insulin-dependent diabetic, will serve as the spokesperson for the campaign launch. Conscientious monitoring of my condition, including working with my doctor to use the Hemoglobin A1c test, lets me enjoy a full life, said Ms. Johnson. With BioSafe's new, self-collected test, there's no reason millions of Americans can't take advantage of the same information that enables my doctors and me to manage my diabetes effectively. Ms. Johnson was diagnosed with the disease in 1993. To help increase compliance with the HbA1c test, particularly among children, the company has worked with Tiger Electronics, Ltd./Hasbro, Inc. to create a ``doctor finger puppet based on Furby(TM), one of the world's best selling toys. Children are typically affected with Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes, the disease's more severe form. Through an exclusive agreement with Tiger Electronics, Ltd./Hasbro, Inc., all diabetes patients will receive a Furby(TM) finger puppet when they purchase a BioSafe HbA1c test kit. In addition, those who comply with the recommended number of four tests a year will receive a complimentary electronic Furby(TM) toy.