Medtronic, the global leader in medical technology, has selected Henry Schein Medical, the U.S. Medical business of Henry Schein as an exclusive distributor of selected diabetes products to primary care physicians (PCPs) in the US.
The exclusive distribution agreement broadens access to Medtronic solutions for people with type 2 diabetes under the care of primary care physicians who oversee their diabetes management. Henry Schein Medical is a leading provider of health care products and services to office-based medical practitioners in the US.
Combining Medtronic’s expertise in diabetes and Henry Schein’s access and reach into PCP offices will help better serve the 27.9 million Americans with type 2 diabetes. Products included in the agreement are the iPro®2 Professional Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system and the i-Port Advance® injection port.
"Medtronic is committed to advancing the care of people with type 2 diabetes. Solutions such as the iPro2 Professional CGM enable physicians to easily gather valuable insights to make educated therapy decisions and improve patient coaching, which can lead to better control for people with type 2 diabetes1," said Laura Stoltenberg, vice president and general manager, Non-Intensive Diabetes Therapies at Medtronic.
The iPro2 Professional CGM provides physicians with valuable insights into how their patients’ diet, medication, and daily activities affect glucose levels throughout an entire three-day period.
Much like a holter monitor for cardiovascular care, iPro2 Professional CGM records a patient’s glucose levels 24 hours a day for up to three days (a total of 864 glucose readings), and provides user-friendly reports to the physician.
Physicians may then use these simple reports to make therapy adjustments, recommendations, and educational decisions for their patients. Medtronic recently introduced enhanced analytical capability for the iPro2 system.
This new functionality, named Pattern Snapshot, helps healthcare professionals, including PCPs, quickly uncover the most important issues to guide and educate their patients on improved glycemic control.
The use of professional CGM is on the rise in the U.S. Several published studies have shown the benefits of professional CGM capturing more episodes of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar, which can be a serious condition if left untreated), and identifying glucose variability (highs and lows).
Most patients with type 2 diabetes are not meeting their goals for keeping their blood sugar levels within the normal range, and more than 80% of people with type 2 diabetes are cared for by PCPs.