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Diabetes crisis for children in LMICs: new report urges pharma to act beyond donations
15 May 2025
Date
15 May 2025
East African region faces critical challenges in type 1 diabetes care for children and young people
An article from the East African outlet Africa Mashariki covers the release of the Access to Medicine Foundation’s new report from its Diabetes Programme, which looks at the pharmaceutical industry’s efforts to improve access to essential diabetes care products in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where many children and young people (CYP) do not have reliable access to critical products for managing and surviving with type 1 diabetes (T1D).
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The article underlines the report’s key takeaway – that a fundamental shift is needed to create sustainable access to care for children with T1D in LMICs, which would require a move away from a donation-based models by the pharmaceutical industry.Â
The article points out that a disproportionate number of preventable diabetes-related deaths among CYP occur in LMICs, especially sub-Saharan Africa, where a person living with diabetes may only live until age 19, while in high-income countries, life expectancy can exceed 75 years.Â
It also highlights the issue of under-diagnosis in LMICs, noting that the majority of T1D deaths in individuals under the age of 25 in sub-Saharan Africa are due to non-diagnosis.Â
