Biocon Biologics Symposium on '100 Years of Insulin - Delivering on Universal Access & Equitable Care' Resonates Well With Leading KOLs at IDF Congress 2019

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11 Dec, 2019, 10:38 GMT

BENGALURU, India, Dec. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Biocon Biologics, a fully integrated 'pure play' global biosimilars organisation, brought together Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), including physicians, scientists, healthcare professionals, government representatives, policy makers, and IDF members, at its symposium on '100 years of Insulin – Delivering on Universal Access & Equitable Care' held during the IDF Congress 2019, at Busan, South Korea. The symposium was held as an extension of its Universal Access Program aimed at getting diverse stakeholders to join its mission of Unlocking access to insulins through its 10 cents mission.

The Symposium was opened by Mr Satish Sivan, the Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India in Korea, who appreciated the efforts being made by Biocon Biologics to unlock affordable access to insulins for patients across the globe. "India has been rightly called the pharmacy capital of the world with consistent track record in producing high quality affordable pharmaceutical products with advances in Biological therapeutics. India has seen companies like Biocon become world leaders in developing Biosimilars therapeutics entities especially for diabetes and cancer," he said.

The Symposium was addressed by Dr Andrew Boulton, Professor at Manchester University and President, IDF, Dr Radhakrisha Sothiratnam, consultant physician, Columbia Asia Hospital, Seremban, Malaysia, Dr Irl Hirsch, Professor of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition, University of Washington, U.S., Renza Scibilia, Manager- Type 1 Diabetes and consumer Voice, Diabetes Australia.

"Is diabetes the cancer of 21^st century? Neither malaria nor AIDS, but diabetes is the biggest health challenge today. Explosion of Diabetes in Asia is resulting in a rising Global Public Tsunami. A 150% rise in type 2 diabetes in South Asia from 2000 to 2035, has been estimated. Lack of equitable access to affordable insulin remains a key impediment to successful treatment and results in co-morbid complications and premature deaths. In developed markets too, people outside the health security net find it difficult to afford expensive insulins therapy. To tackle this huge economic burden that diabetes poses, governments across the world need to ensure that they have a universal health coverage system, which includes insulin and diabetes care," said Dr Andrew Boulton, Professor at Manchester University and President, IDF.

"Our symposium at IDF Congress brought together leading KOLs from across the globe to seek viable, long-term solutions to improve insulin access and affordability. The discussions pointed towards diabetes being a universal challenge for patients not just in LMICs but also in developed markets like the US, where patients outside the health security net are forced to ration insulins due to its high cost. We believe Biocon Biologics along with other stakeholders including like-minded insulins providers can enable equitable access to insulins for patients globally," said Christiane Hamacher, CEO, Biocon Biologics.