Findings Reinforce the Need for Greater
Discussions Between Health Care Professionals and Patients to Help
Them Understand Their Increased Risk For Pneumococcal
Pneumonia/Pneumococcal Disease, Flu and Hepatitis B
Many adults with diabetes are unaware of their increased risk
for certain serious illnesses, including pneumococcal
pneumonia/pneumococcal disease, flu and hepatitis B. This is
according to a recent national, online consumer awareness survey
sponsored by Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United
States and Canada, and the American Diabetes Association, and
conducted by Harris Poll.
In the survey of 1,003 U.S. adults ages 18 years and older
diagnosed with diabetes, respondents were twice as likely to
recognize the potential for adults with diabetes to develop kidney
disease (72%) and heart disease (67%), than serious infectious
diseases such as pneumococcal disease, including pneumonia,
meningitis, or an infection of the blood (36%), compared to adults
without diabetes.
While published data1 show that adults with diabetes are
approximately three times more likely to develop pneumococcal
disease compared to healthy adults of the same age, only about 1 in
3 survey respondents (35%) believed they were at least somewhat
personally likely to get pneumococcal pneumonia/pneumococcal
disease. In addition, less than half of those surveyed (43%)
responded that they had discussed the risk factors for pneumococcal
pneumonia/pneumococcal disease with their doctor.
“These data illustrate that patients with diabetes are not fully
aware of their risk of other serious illnesses, and that there is a
critical communication gap between patients and their health care
providers about the risks for serious illness, including
pneumococcal pneumonia or pneumococcal disease, flu and hepatitis B
for adults with diabetes. Because people with diabetes have
increased risks for these diseases and more complicated medical
courses when they contract them, health care providers should seek
to initiate discussions with patients to bridge the information
gap, as recommended in our Standards of Care,” said American
Diabetes Association Immediate Past Chief Scientific & Medical
Officer Robert E. Ratner, M.D.
In the 2016 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, the American
Diabetes Association states: “Ongoing patient self-management
education and support are critical to preventing acute
complications, and reducing the risk of long-term complications.”
The Standards of Care also recognize and emphasize the importance
of patient-centered engagement and communication to the foundation
of diabetes care. Indeed, thirty-five percent of the survey
respondents strongly/somewhat agreed with the statement: “I wish I
knew more about pneumococcal pneumonia or pneumococcal disease,”
and eighty-five percent believed that pneumococcal
pneumonia/pneumococcal disease is a very/somewhat serious health
condition for adults with diabetes.
“This lack of awareness is significant—based on the survey, we
know that adults with diabetes wish they knew more about certain
diseases for which they are at risk, including pneumococcal
pneumonia or pneumococcal disease,” said Mel Kohn, M.D., MPH,
medical director, Merck.
In March of 2015, Merck and the American Diabetes Association
announced a collaboration aiming to educate adults with diabetes
about their increased risk for certain serious illnesses, including
pneumococcal pneumonia, flu and hepatitis B, encouraging people
with type 1 or type 2 diabetes to talk with their HCP about these
diseases. As part of the collaboration, an educational resource is
available on the Association’s Diabetes Forecast website to help
guide adults with diabetes to have informed conversations with
their health care team: www.DiabetesForecast.org/knowyourrisk.
Nearly 30 million people in the United States are living with
diabetes, and 90-95 percent have type 2 diabetes. About 1.4 million
Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year. 2,3
About Pneumococcal Disease
Pneumococcus refers to the bacterium that is the most common
cause of lung infection known as pneumococcal pneumonia. The
bacteria can infect the upper respiratory tract, and can spread to
the lungs, blood or brain. Symptoms of pneumococcal pneumonia can
include sudden onset of illness characterized by shaking chills,
fever, shortness of breath or rapid breathing, chest pain that is
worsened by breathing deeply and a productive cough.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of
Merck and the ADA from April 12-26, 2016 among 1,003 U.S. adults
age 18 and older who have been diagnosed with type 1 or type 2
diabetes; not employed by a federal, state, county, or local
government agency/facility; do not personally work/have a household
member who works in a competing industry; and are not currently
involved in a medical clinical trial. Data were not weighted and
are only representative of those who completed the survey.
About Merck
For over a century, Merck has been a global health care leader
working to help the world be well. Merck is known as MSD outside
the United States and Canada. Through our prescription medicines,
vaccines, biologic therapies, and animal health products, we work
with customers and operate in more than 140 countries to deliver
innovative health solutions. We also demonstrate our commitment to
increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies,
programs and partnerships. For more information, visit
www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and
LinkedIn.
About the American Diabetes Association
More than 29 million Americans have diabetes, and every 23
seconds another person is diagnosed with diabetes. The American
Diabetes Association (Association) is the global authority on
diabetes and since 1940 has been committed to its mission to
prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people
affected by diabetes. To tackle this global public health crisis,
the Association drives discovery in research to treat, manage and
prevent all types of diabetes, as well as to search for cures;
raises voice to the urgency of the diabetes epidemic; and provides
support and advocacy for people living with diabetes, those at risk
of developing diabetes and the health care professionals who serve
them. For more information, please call the American Diabetes
Association at 1-800-DIABETESS (1-800-342-2383) or
visit diabetes.org. Information from both of these sources is
available in English and Spanish. Find us on
Facebook (American Diabetes Association), Twitter (@AmDiabetesAssn)
and Instagram (@AmDiabetesAssn)
Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc.,
Kenilworth, N.J., USA
This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J.,
USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within
the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are
based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s
management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties.
There can be no guarantees with respect to pipeline products that
the products will receive the necessary regulatory approvals or
that they will prove to be commercially successful. If underlying
assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize,
actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the
forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general
industry conditions and competition; general economic factors,
including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations;
the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care
legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends
toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new
products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent
in new product development, including obtaining regulatory
approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market
conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial
instability of international economies and sovereign risk;
dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and other
protections for innovative products; and the exposure to
litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory
actions.
The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause
results to differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s 2015
Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company’s other filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s
Internet site (www.sec.gov).
__________
1 Shea et al. 2014, “Rates of Pneumococcal Disease in Adults with
Chronic Medical Conditions” 2 ADA 2016, “Statistics About Diabetes”
3 ADA 2016, “About Type 2 Diabetes”
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170228005255/en/
MerckMedia:Pamela Eisele, 267-305-3558orSkip Irvine,
215-652-6059
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