Blood sugar testing strips could soon cost as little as 'five. Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday said that the government is all set to launch the low cost indigenous blood sugar testing strip by the end of 2013. At present one strip cost as high as '30-35.
Blood sugar testing strips could soon cost as little as 'five. Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday said that the government is all set to launch the low cost indigenous blood sugar testing strip by the end of 2013. At present one strip cost as high as '30-35. The country’s cheapest strips have been developed by various public institutions and they are now waiting for technology transplatation by entrepreneurs. “The strips which are present in the market are patented and are very expensive for diabetics who need to test their blood sugar levels at regular intervals. If they are indigenous the price will go down. We are in advanced stage of developing our own diagnostic strip. By the end of this year we will have some good news,”Mr Azad said. Financially supported by the Union health ministry, the experts will meet in October to formulate guidelines for evaluating the proposal. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has called for expression of interest for technology transfer. Mr Azad said that this will help bringing down the problem as many people do not check their blood sugar levels regularly due to the exhobitant price of the strips. “Once the price of testing strips go down many people will start checking their blood sugar levels regularly.” The step gains significance as India is expected to remain diabetes capital, with experts claiming that by 2030 the diabetes burden in the country is likely to cross the 100 million mark as against 87 5 million, which was the previous estimate. According to the recent data released during the National Non-Communicable Diseases meet, India will have more than 100 million people in next 17 years who are likely to have diabetes, currently the largest cause of deaths in the country. Experts said that the country witnessed a 12 per cent increase in the number of diabetes cases to 61 million in 2012 as against 50.8 million in the previous year. “In 2012, diabetes caused 9.83 lakh death in the country, the largest contributor to mortality, according to official data.
