Need we say more!
According to a report published in the journal Population Health Metrics today, 1 in 3 Americans could have diabetes by 2050. The report also projects that the number of Americans with diabetes could double or triple over the 40 years.
Given the developments in diabetes this week with the FDA delaying the approval of Bydureon, the timing of this report is just a little ironic. Already an epidemic, this astonishing projected growth in diabetes is alarming and frankly, a little scary.
Considering that the report was conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a government agency one would assume that the folks at the FDA would not dispute its conclusions. That is course assuming they even read these reports or care about their conclusions. Diabetic Investor also wonders if any of our distinguished politicians or their staffers has read this report.
Although the report does not estimate the economic consequences of this alarming growth in diabetes, one does not need a meta-analysis to figure out that diabetes, which is already impacting the economy to the tune of over $174 billion per year, will spiral further out of control as the case load increases. Even politicians, not the brightest blubs on the tree, can figure out that as the numbers of patient’s increases so will the cost of treating these patients. We know that Washington uses some strange math, but even a child understands that it will cost more to treat 10 patients than it will to treat 3 or 4 patients.
The sad reality is that no one not the FDA or our elected officials are giving diabetes serious consideration. Can you imagine the uproar and outrage if a report projected that HIV or cancer was about to double or triple. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to conduct televised public hearings, politicians would be all over this news. There they would be pontificating that something must be done, the American public must be protected.
The reality is the FDA and our elected officials just don’t see diabetes as a serious issue. Never mind all the statistics that show that diabetes is now the 7th leading cause of death and moving up fast. Or that complications from poorly controlled diabetes leads to a host of costly healthcare issues such as heart disease, kidney failure, amputations and blindness. Never mind that millions of patients are now needlessly suffering because the FDA has become so conservative and backward in their thinking, they would rather see diabetes complications get worse rather than approve treatments which would actually improve patient outcomes.
The ignorance or perhaps it’s arrogance of the FDA and our elected officials reminds Diabetic Investor of a well known tale about the great British leader Winston Churchill. It’s been told that Mr. Churchill was attending a cocktail party and was slightly over served when a young lady approached Mr. Churchill and stated “Sir you are drunk.” Mr. Churchill responded by stating “You are quite correct miss I am drunk. However, you are ugly. In the morning I will be sober while unfortunately you will still be ugly.” Right now it’s the FDA and our elected officials who are drunk and if they don’t sober up in a hurry, the problem of diabetes will not magically go away. We need action and we need it yesterday.
