Ever heard of MedCo Health Solutions? It's not a household name like the big pharmaceutical companies Novo, Glaxo etc. However, MedCo, which happens to be in the prescription benefit management business, is a large and powerful company. Now it's about to become even larger: the company is poised to pay $1.5 billion for PolyMedica Corporation, the nation's biggest supplier of diabetes-related products.

According to a Forbes report on the deal, PolyMedica has nearly one million patients using its products. Its product line includes Liberty Healthcare brand, blood glucose test kits and meters, lancet kits, insulin and the like. The Forbes article says the move is basically a smart one on the part of MedCo: it can cash in on the growing demand(14.5 % growth, annually!) for diabetes supplies. MedCo's chief exec, David Snow, told Forbes he anticipates the purchase could make his company (indirectly) the supplier of diabetes treatment products to half of all insured Americans with diabetes.

Factoid: ads for PolyMedica star "Cocoon" and "Seinfeld" actor Wilford Brimley.

Forbes is running an interesting profile of do-it-yourself medicine. It's about all the medical stuff you can do now from the privacy of your own home, before or in addition to visits to your doctor. The article looks at all kinds of tests and devices now available to the public, such as home pregnancy test kits. However, it also examines the technology available to diabetics.

Diabetes is a disease in which self-testing has made great progress, says Dr. Barbara P. Yawn of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. This began with the introduction of glucose-monitoring tests. Then came blood glucose meters and testing strips in the 60s. Okay, the blood glucose tests have the "ouch factor" but they are highly effective--much more so than the old urine tests. Also, technology is making the finger pricks required for blood tests less and less painful all the time.

The website Diabetic News is running a brief article that you may want to check out. It discusses the main features of blood glucose meters. This may be of use if you're thinking of purchasing one of these devices. In a nutshell, here are the factors to consider:

1. Measurement Range -- Be aware that different meters use different ranges.
2. Whole Blood Glucose vs. Plasma Glucose -- Be aware that home blood glucose tests work by measuring the glucose in whole blood, while lab tests measure glucose in plasma. For this reason, your home test readings will not match your lab test results. (However, many meters now give "plasma equivalent" readings, which may be helpful to you.)
3. Cleaning -- Be aware that cleaning the device properly is important for your health and to ensure accurate readings are obtained. 4. Display of High and Low Glucose Values -- be aware that the usefulness of home blood glucose testing devices is dependent on your ability to properly interpret the results.