Rethinking diabetes by strengthening IP

For many years, developing countries like India have been crippled with high incidence rates of tuberculosis, AIDS and malaria. The situation has changed in the recent few years with chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disorders becoming the top killers.

India is home to 72 million diabetic patients, and another 80 million with prediabetes, which is a high-risk condition for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Sedentary lifestyle, excessive carbohydrate and sugar intake, physical inactivity, and other factors are responsible for the galloping rise of this metabolic disorder that deteriorates the vitals of your body. The ever-increasing number of diabetes patients and associated cardiovascular complications can have long-term impact on an individual as well as the nation’s health and economy. No more a disease of the elderly, diabetes has been affecting a huge proportion of the economically productive generation.

According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the number of people with diabetes in India will cross 134 million mark by 2045. Hence, if we are to control the menace, we need to consider diabetes as a major public health issue. We need innovative treatment options to effectively combat the disease burden. And, to achieve supremacy in the quality of care, we need stronger regulatory mechanisms i.e. intellectual property protection to foster continued investment in R&D for treatment options in diabetes care.

In a developing country like ours, there exist several socio-economic and political barriers in the management of diabetes. These range from lack of awareness and inadequate healthcare facilities, and fixing the gaps requires a consortium of various stakeholders and professionals involved in diabetes care.

The government can drive campaigns to raise awareness and upgrade the existing infrastructure to house the latest innovations for prevention and treatment of diabetes. Hence, the need of the hour is to maximise investments in the wake of upgrading the medical infrastructure of the country. And, the only way to increase capital investments in the healthcare sector is by streamlining administrative reforms.

New and advanced technologies enter a market when the framework is incentive-oriented. By incentives, I not only mean the financial security of a manufacturer, but also an adequate time of protection of their patented innovative products. To safeguard innovation, we need stronger intellectual property (IP) rights mechanism to ensure a continued, steady stream of new diabetes treatments for the benefit of patients.

In the last few decades, there has been a significant shift in the dynamics of healthcare. From advanced treatments and innovations changing the process of treatment to machines monitoring a person’s blood sugar levels and administering the insulin as needed, medical science has come a long way. Innovations around the world have not only saved lives but also helped achieve better patient outcomes.

Let’s look at some of these innovations. There are insulin-delivery technologies which deliver insulin constantly through a programmable insulin pump. It works on a similar principle of the natural delivery of insulin by the pancreas. We have glucose monitoring systems that ensure round the clock accurate control. With newer technologies in the management of diabetes, a patient can significantly reduce the dependence on insulin injections.

The future of diabetes care is likely to witness implanted cell therapies — devices that allow the use of artificial pancreas and smarter insulin which work only when the blood glucose levels are elevated. But here is the catch: the innovations demand a holistic environment which promises protection of latest technologies and returns on investments made in their research and development.

Strong IP laws can not only guarantee protection of smarter technologies and products of innovation, but also, ensure a just return on R&D investment that can deliver life-saving and life-prolonging products. We need innovations to trickle down across all tiers of a healthcare ecosystem and made available to all those who need these technologies. By providing insurance and subsidies, even the latest and best treatment should be made available to the common man.

Diabetes as a public health issue needs a sound and predictable IP policy environment which both promises safeguards for innovation and delivers better quality of care for patients across India.

Genetically, Indians are more prone to developing diabetes and coronary artery disease, owing to the prevalence of the so-called ‘Asian-Indian phenotype’. Compared to others, Indians are more prone to increased insulin resistance, higher waist circumference despite lower BMI, lower adiponectin and higher high sensitive C-reactive protein levels. Hence, the need for smarter therapies and timely intervention to cure diabetes.

The cure for many of the diseases, including diabetes, stem out from investing in research. With IP backing the research-based companies, the patients of today can benefit from the medicines of tomorrow.

(The writer is Chairman & Chief Diabetologist, Dr Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre)