Pharmaceuticals

Diabetes mellitus occurs when the pancreas is no longer able to produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot make good use of it. Not being able to produce insulin or use it effectively causes elevated glucose levels in the blood, that can lead to serious health problems.

Chronic diabetes conditions include type 1 and type 2 diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, though it often appears during childhood or adolescence. In the case of type 1 diabetes the body produces very little or no insulin, which means that daily insulin injections are needed to keep blood glucose levels under control.
• Type 2 diabetes is more common in adults and accounts for around 90% of all diabetes cases. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not make good use of the insulin that it produces. The cornerstone of type 2 diabetes treatment is a healthy lifestyle, including increased physical activity and a healthy diet. However, over time, most people with type 2 diabetes require anti-diabetic pharmacological treatment to keep their blood glucose levels under control.

Potentially reversible diabetes conditions include prediabetes — when blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes — and gestational diabetes, which may occur during pregnancy and generally resolves after the baby is delivered.

Diabetes symptoms vary depending on how high blood sugar levels become. Some people, especially those with pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, may not experience symptoms initially. In type 1 diabetes, symptoms tend to come on quickly and be more severe.

Some of the signs and symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes are: frequent urination, increased thirst, extreme hunger, frequent infections, slow-healing sores, blurred vision, fatigue and irritability.

The goals in diabetes mellitus treatment are to eliminate symptoms and to prevent, or at least slow, the development of harmful complications in different organs, such as kidneys and eyes, as well as in nervous and cardiovascular systems.

Menarini’s presence in diabetes care has a long history through well-known and long-established products. In addition Menarini is constantly and strongly committed to expanding this therapeutic area by evaluating new innovative opportunities with the aim of taking better care of diabetic patients.