LifeScan and ResMed Announce Co-Marketing Agreement Focused on Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes and Sleep-Disordered Breathing

    MILPITAS, Calif., June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- LifeScan, Inc., maker of the
 leading OneTouch(R) Brand of blood glucose meters for people with diabetes,
 and ResMed, Inc. (NYSE:   RMD), a leading manufacturer of medical devices for
 the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea, today announced an exclusive
 co-marketing agreement designed to improve the lives of people with type 2
 diabetes and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). The joint work of the two
 companies will focus on educational and cross-promotional efforts intended
 to benefit the patients and healthcare professionals served by both
 companies. The goal is to build awareness among healthcare professionals of
 the overlap of these two conditions, trigger new approaches to patient
 care, and ultimately improve the rate of treating patients suffering from
 both SDB and diabetes.
 
     The agreement between the two companies comes on the heels of a recent
 announcement by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in which the
 organization issued a consensus statement(1) on type 2 diabetes and
 obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the most common form of SDB. Issued by an
 IDF working group, the new statement included an urgent call-to-action
 regarding the need to adopt new clinical practices with respect to
 monitoring, screening and treating patients who present with either
 condition.
 
     "Through this agreement, it's our hope to make significant inroads into
 educating more physicians about the coexistence, identification and care of
 these two diseases, and getting more patients diagnosed, treated and on the
 road to a healthier future," said Tom West, President North America,
 LifeScan.
 
     While more research is needed to fully understand the correlation
 between diabetes and OSA, it is clear that the two conditions are often
 linked. "Research shows that it is likely in people with type 2 diabetes
 that more than 50 percent suffer from some form of sleep disorder including
 sleep apnea," said Paul Zimmet, MD, PhD, co-chair of the IDF working group
 that issued the consensus statement, and Director of the International
 Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia(2). "At the same time, it is
 increasingly evident that a significant number of people diagnosed with
 sleep apnea may have diabetes and they have a significantly greater risk of
 developing diabetes compared with those that don't suffer from the sleep
 disorder."
 
     In addition, both conditions are under-diagnosed and, if left untreated
 and uncontrolled, can lead to serious complications.
 
     Diabetes affects approximately 21 million Americans, with only a little
 more than two thirds of those having been diagnosed, leaving nearly 6
 million unaware that they suffer from the disease and have uncontrolled
 blood glucose levels. Additionally, 90 to 95 percent of the diagnosed
 population has type 2 diabetes. Without proper management, diabetes can
 lead to heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, and amputation.
 
     In the United States, it is estimated that sleep apnea affects up to 24
 percent of men and 9 percent of women. Among those believed to have sleep
 apnea, it's also estimated that at least 90 percent remain undiagnosed.
 Left untreated, sleep apnea -- like diabetes -- can lead to heart disease,
 but it can also lead to high blood pressure, fatigue, daytime sleepiness,
 memory problems, depression, headaches, and sexual dysfunction.
 
     About LifeScan, Inc.
 
     LifeScan, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company and a leading maker of
 blood glucose monitoring products, is dedicated to creating a world without
 limits for people with diabetes. For healthcare professional resources, and
 information on diabetes care and LifeScan products and services, visit
 www.LifeScan.com.
 
 

     AW091-954A
 
     (1) The development and writing of the IDF Consensus Statement on type 2
         diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea was funded by an educational
         grant from the ResMed Foundation.  The Foundation had no involvement
         in the writing, review or approval of the Consensus Statement as was
         disclosed over the weekend when the statement was presented at the
         annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association in San
         Francisco.
 
     (2) Dr. Zimmet is chief investigator of a clinical research study of sleep
         apnea and diabetes that is underwritten by ResMed.
 
 

SOURCE LifeScan, Inc.