Diabetes National Alliance created to address diabetes epidemic

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. The United States subsidiary of a French drug maker announced Thursday that it launched a new organization to address the growing diabetes epidemic.

Sanofi-Aventis U.S. said it launched the Diabetes National Alliance to bring together experts and raise awareness of best practices in diabetes treatment.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 24 million Americans have diabetes, and 5.7 million of them remain undiagnosed and more than 40% are not in control of their blood glucose.

“Most patients with diabetes currently utilize primary-care physicians, whose specialty is neither diabetes nor endocrinology,” University of Buffalo medicine professor and Diabetes National Alliance steering committee member Paresh Dandona said in a statement. “The Diabetes National Alliance provides physicians, diabetes educators and nurses tasked with treating the growing epidemic of diabetes in America with the knowledge and tools aimed at improving patient care.”