Scientific background

Type 2 Diabetes: a global epidemy

90% of diabetic patients in the world suffer from type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes (also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes) is defined primarily by a failure of sensitive tissue to respond to insulin, a hormone involved in glucose and fatty acids metabolism with a secondary effect in insulin secretion. In 2007, more than 220 million people suffered from Type 2 diabetes worldwide, including over 65 million patients in the US and Europe. Existing therapies on the market are dominated by few leading product classes, but significant unmet needs remain.

Type 2 diabetes is a silent disease, associated with severe vascular complications. Macro-vascular complications affect large arteries, leading to cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease or peripheral artery thrombosis. Micro-vascular complications affect small arteries damaging mainly the kidney, the retina and the nerves. The latest lead to chronic renal failure (50% of cases), vision loss up to blindness and neuropathy, affecting mainly sensitivity in the legs (65% of cases). Because the disease is associated with no or very limited symptoms, around 30% of diabetic patients remain undiagnosed, thus untreated.