On March 13, 2007, former President Bill Clinton joined global leaders to discuss ways to break the curve of the diabetes pandemic. The Global Changing Diabetes Leadership Forum held in New York City was hosted by Novo Nordisk and supported by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Yes, when people of this magnitude get together - you know it's serious business!

The forum convened the Masters of the Healthcare Universe to discuss ways to make diabetes a global health priority and ultimately, improve the way the disease is treated. The attendees were policymakers, patient organizations and healthcare professionals. It is estimated that 1 in 3 American children born in 2000 and beyond will develop type 2 diabetes. Worldwide, an estimated 246 million people have diabetes, and the number is expected to grow to 380 million within the next 20 years. A resolution today could prevent this harrowing disaster of tomorrow.

The Global Changing Diabetes Leadership Forum hopes to redefine healthcare around the needs of people with diabetes. Novo Nordisk has recognized that there is not a single answer to the diabetes pandemic. They seek to identify multiple actions to combat diabetes - from prevention to the treatment of serious complications. Lars Rebien Sørensen, president and CEO of Novo Nordisk says, . "Only by placing the person with diabetes at the center of care and changing how healthcare systems around the world approach the disease can this silent killer be defeated."

Novo Nordisk anticipates hosting a 2-day forum with this goal in mind. The forum will entail influential figures from around the world, participating in a series of workshops and dialogues designed to evoke a provocative debate about how to chart a course for changing diabetes management globally. For further details on the UN Resolution, please visit the unite for diabetes site.

At the request of the Regulatory Affairs Manager at Generex, I am posting the following to defend the accuracy of the packaging and the claim of the product. The initial blog addressed a product called Glucose RapidSpray. The reader feedback, as well as the regulatory affairs response, is listed below. In no way, does Generex imply this product is to be used to treat hypoglycemia.

The comment to the original post stated:

The nutritional label on the product (available as a PDF on their web site) says the product has 188mg of carbs (or .188g) per serving (5 sprays). A typical glucose tablet has 4g... that's about 21x more carbs in a single glucose tablet than in 5 sprays of RapidSpray. Considering you typically use at least 15g of carbs to treat hypoglycemia, you would need around 80 sprays to get 15g of carbs into your system! When you take into account the amount of sprays you need, the calorie count isn't very much different from glucose tablets.

Read the label carefully, and be very careful using this!

The response from the Manager of Generex Regulatory Affairs states:

The product, Glucose RapidSpray™, is to be taken at the first sign of needing additional glucose in the diet, either between meals, during exercise, and/or before bedtime. It is not intended to take people out of full hypoglycemic states that normally a full tube of glucose gel or a full dose of Glucose tablets would be needed for. Glucose RapidSpray™ product is meant to be a complement to meals in order to help with glucose levels. As such, a direct correlation of carbs associated with Glucose RapidSpray™ and typical glucose tablets or gel is not warranted based on the intended use of the product. If usage of the product is maintained by taking Glucose RapidSpray™ at the first sign of needing additional glucose, then the Nutritional Facts stated on the package labeling is adequate for determining caloric intake (be it 5 sprays, 10 sprays, 15 sprays or whatever is taken to address the situation).

I consider the proactive response of Generex a good sign of how a company is run. Without needing to do so, Generex went above and beyond the call to address an open forum about the efficacy and accuracy of the product. This is the kind of interaction that convinces me a company cares! Good job, Generex! Lest I NOT hold my breath for Eli Lilly to return my call about Super Insulin. Novo Nordisk was far more receptive to address my interests, as a diabetic. Stay tuned for my follow-up on the Eli Lilly vs. Novo Nordisk – Who Love You, Baby!?!

Say what you like about former president Bill Clinton, but he's really gotten serious about weight loss and healthy eating. Yep, he's looking fit and slender these days, although I confess I'll always have a soft spot for the old, rounder-pink-faced Clinton. Anyway, Clinton has lately enlisted the help of US governors to help him fight epidemic youth obesity and the associated rise in diabetes. "We have a huge cultural problem, and unless we change it, our children may grow up to be the first generation with shorter lifespans that we had," says Clinton. The Boston Globe reports that obesity rates have tripled in the last forty years for kids and teens aged six to nineteen. This, in turn, raises their risk of developing diabetes not to mention a host of other health problems. The Globe reports that among Clinton's initiatives to help turn the tide is a program aimed at bringing improved nutrition and increased physical activity and health education to the nation's schools. It just seems like such an uphill battle, doesn't it though? And if parents aren't doing enough, it seems to me the schools have a responsibility to step in.