DIAGNOS Contracted by Bayer for Diabetic Eye Disease Screening

DIAGNOS Contracted by Bayer for Diabetic Eye Disease Screening

By: Dylan Sikes - AllPennyStocks.com News

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Diabetes, a disease that affects some 387 million people globally, is never too far removed from headlines and has found its way back to the front page lately. Researchers led by Salk Institute scientists published a study in Nature detailing their findings in mice studies that show there could be a new type of diabetes not associated with insulin deficiency or obesity. The research, which still is in its infancy and needs evaluation in humans, has led to speculation that millions of Americans over the age of 65 could have this newly identified version, dubbed Type 4 diabetes. On the treatment front, a small study funded by the National Institute of Health found that the impotence drug Viagra improved insulin sensitivity in overweight pre-diabetic people. The study further showed that Viagra was also associated with lowering levels of a biomarker tied to increased risk of heart and kidney disease, two co-morbidities closely linked to diabetes. As far as detection, Brossard, Quebec-based DIAGNOS Inc. (TSX-Venture:ADK) announced a contract with Bayer (OTC:BAYRY) for macular edema, diabetic retinopathy screening.


People with diabetes have a higher risk of blindness, but early detection and regular checkups can often contain problems to minor eye disorders. The most common versions of diabetic eye disease are diabetic retinopathy (changes to retinal blood vessels that can cause them to bleed or leak fluid), diabetic macular edema (a consequence of diabetic retinopathy, swelling of the retina’s macula), cataracts (clouding of the eye’s lens) and glaucoma (damage to the optic nerve often association with elevated pressure inside the eye). Diabetic retinopathy and macular edema are treatable, but pose a problem as they don’t present symptoms until progression to later stages, making an effective screening program important in fleshing out the conditions before they advance.

In the contract, DIAGNOS is providing a turnkey screening service for diabetic patients in hospitals and clinics in the Colombian cities of Cali, Ibagué and Bogotá D.C. Screening shall be offered to diabetics affiliated to their health entities whom shall test the impact of including preventive screening programs into their first level clinics that attend to the largest diabetes populations in the country.

"Following the expected success of this project, we intend to expand the scope of services offered through this pharmaceutical company into other Latin America countries," said André Larente, President & CEO at DIAGNOS, in Wednesday’s statement.

Shares of DIAGNOS didn’t respond to the arguably positive press release, closing flat at 4 cents. Perhaps the lack of movement resided in some confusion about Bayer reportedly exiting the diabetes space with the sale of its Diabetes Care business to Panasonic Healthcare Holdings, which is backed by KKR & Co. (NYSE:KKR) and Panasonic Corp., for $1.15 billion in June. An email by AllPennyStocks.com reporters to DIAGNOS requesting some clarity has gone unanswered at the time of this writing.

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