With some 20,000 UK children with Type 1 diabetes(i) about to start the new school year, new guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) looks set to revolutionise the way children manage their diabetes, granting more freedom and control for their condition, by greater access to insulin pump therapy. The new recommendations finally acknowledge key research(ii) supported by Roche, that shows the positive impact of pumps on quality of life for sufferers and their families.

Roche, a world leader in diabetes care and management services, has been working closely with diabetes healthcare specialists to raise awareness of pump therapy and encourage and support new users. Roche welcomes the new guidelines that recommend greater access to insulin pump therapy to manage Type 1 diabetes, particularly amongst children and young people, with pumps replacing traditional insulin injections which have been shown to interrupt the school day(iii).

Dr Katharine Barnard PhD, School of Psychology at the University of Southampton, one of the UK's leading authorities into quality of life issues surrounding insulin pumps in Type 1 diabetes, who has worked with Roche says: "There are significant psychosocial benefits associated with insulin pump therapy, particularly improved quality of life. The new NICE guidelines should facilitate greater access to this therapy, which will only be good news for patients and their families. For children it should have a positive impact on both their school and home life."

Benefits of replacing injections with insulin pump therapy include fewer hypoglycaemic episodes, the opportunity to participate in sports without having to plan ahead and the choice to eat a wider variety of food as the pump can be easily adjusted to supply the right amount of insulin each moment of the day.

Britain is lagging behind other major countries in terms of diabetes management with less than 1% of Type 1 cases using an insulin pump in the UK, compared to many other countries such as US and Germany where 15-20% use a pump(iv). With a five fold increase in the number of under fives diagnosed over the past 20 years(v), and 1 child in 1,000(vi) affected, access to insulin pump therapy is essential for children to have the opportunity to live as close to a normal a life as possible and feel less 'controlled' by their diabetes as Dr Barnard's adolescent study amongst pump users found.

Dr Barnard continued: "The new guidance should hopefully open up access to children and their families and pumps are then provided according to need, choice and suitability."

Insulin pumps are not suitable for everyone and they need thorough explanation and training. People can find out more by visiting accu-chek where they can experience the Accu-Chek Spirit online simulator, the most advanced insulin pump from Roche which closely mimics the pancreas by delivering insulin every three minutes(vii).

About Roche

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As the world's biggest biotech company and an innovator of products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people's health and quality of life. Roche is the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics and drugs for cancer and transplantation, and is a market leader in virology. It is also active in other major therapeutic areas such as autoimmune diseases, inflammatory and metabolic disorders and diseases of the central nervous system. In 2007 sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totalled 36.8 billion Swiss francs, and sales by the Diagnostics Division totalled 9.3 billion Swiss francs. Roche Diabetes Care posted 2007 sales of 3.2 billion Swiss francs. Roche has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai, and invested over 8 billion Swiss francs in R&D in 2007. Worldwide, the Group employs about 80,000 people. Additional information is available on the Internet at roche.

About Roche Diabetes Care

Roche Diabetes Care is a pioneer in the development of blood glucose monitoring systems and a global leader for diabetes management systems and services. For more than 30 years, the Accu-Chek brand has been committed to enable people with diabetes to live life as normal and active as possible as well as to help healthcare professionals manage their patients' condition in an optimal way. Today, the Accu-Chek portfolio offers people with diabetes and healthcare professionals innovative products and services and comprehensive solutions for convenient, efficient and effective diabetes management spanning from blood glucose monitoring through information management to insulin delivery. The Accu-Chek brand encompasses blood glucose meters, insulin delivery systems, lancing devices and data management systems.

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(i) Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

(ii) Barnard, K.D., Speight. J. & Skinner, T.C. Impact of insulin pump therapy on quality of life of children/adolescents with Type 1 diabetes and their parents: an overview study. Practical Diabetes International, October 2008.

(iii) Barnard, K.D., study as above

(iv) Diabetes UK, Insulin Pump Services - Report of the Insulin Pumps Working Group, March 2007

(v) University of Bristol, March 2007 (PJ Bingley, Department of Clinical Science)

(vi) University of Bristol, March 2007 (PJ Bingley, Department of Clinical Science)

(vii) Encyclopedia of Endocrine Diseases, Volume 3, p48. Insulin Secretion Physiology. Elsevier Inc. 2004.

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