Introducing Bayer's CONTOUR(R) USB - The first blood glucose meter with
built-in diabetes management software
TORONTO, March 24 /CNW/ - Health Canada has approved Bayer's CONTOUR(R) USB, the first and only blood glucose meter with built-in USB technology that can be plugged directly into a computer, allowing for instant access to blood glucose monitoring results.
"Patients have traditionally relied on log books to help keep track of their blood sugar levels," said Dr. Amish Parikh, Endocrinologist, Trillium Health Centre. "Bayer's CONTOUR USB meter is a tool that effectively allows patients to store, access and interpret these readings. Patients can now easily identify important blood sugar issues. This helps them to adjust their insulin and pills thereby avoiding dangerously high and low blood sugar levels."
Plug & Play Diabetes Management
For people with diabetes who use insulin, effective diabetes management includes checking blood glucose levels with a blood glucose meter numerous times a day. The Canadian Diabetes Association recommends that people with type 1 diabetes check at least three times a day, and those with type 2 diabetes on an oral medication or insulin check at least once a day.
"Healthcare professionals encourage people to keep track of their blood glucose levels," said Dr. Parikh. "The volume of information available can be overwhelming. Patients may find it difficult to make the connection between their results and how they can better manage their diabetes. Bayer's CONTOUR USB will help patients and healthcare professionals to better interpret results."
People with diabetes can plug in and instantly access information about trends and patterns in their blood glucose levels with the integrated Glucofacts(R) DELUXE software. Bayer's CONTOUR USB is as simple to use as any standard blood glucose meter. The meter stores up to 2,000 test results, which patients can access on any computer, whether at home, at the doctor's office, or on the go with their laptop.
"Technology is all about making people's lives easier, so it's great to see it being applied for the benefit of people living with diabetes," said Marc Saltzman, Technology Expert. "Bayer's CONTOUR USB includes many of the convenient and advanced features you might expect to find on many consumer devices. With its slick, stylish and user-friendly design features, it's a great fit for today's busy, plugged-in lifestyle."
Other CONTOUR USB Key Features
Simplify it - As easy to use as any standard meter, but with built-in
technology that simplifies tracking and interpreting your results
See it - A bright colour OLED display screen visible in any light
that flags average, high and low blood sugar readings
Customize it - Customizable features such as intuitive pre- and post-
meal marking to help track blood glucose trends
Store it - Stores 2,000 blood glucose test results, plus 500MB extra
memory for storage of personal files
Charge it - Rechargeable battery that can charge from any USB port or
via the optional CONTOUR USB wall charger
Live it - Slick and discreet design features make it a great fit for
your plugged-in lifestyle
Bayer's CONTOUR USB meter is based on Bayer's trusted CONTOUR system, providing the same easy accuracy, No Coding(TM) technology, no interference with maltose, galactose*, and oxygen and automatic correction for hematocrit(xx) and common interfering substances (e.g. acetaminophen, ascorbic acid), as well as a 5-second test time and small (0.6 (micro)L) sample size - all helping to simplify the lives of people with diabetes. Bayer's CONTOUR USB meter uses CONTOUR blood glucose test strips currently available for other CONTOUR meters.
Bayer's CONTOUR USB will be available for purchase online at www.bayercontourusb.ca or at selected retail pharmacies.
Diabetes in Canada
In Canada, over 3 million people have diabetes and approximately 300,000 Canadians live with type 1 diabetes(1). Vigilant care and management of their diabetes is required 24 hours a day, seven days a week to achieve an optimal quality of life and to delay or prevent traumatic complications(2). People with type 1 diabetes do not naturally produce any insulin, and as a result, must take insulin every day(3).
About Bayer Inc.
Bayer Inc. (Bayer) is a Canadian subsidiary of Bayer AG, an international research-based group with core businesses in health care, crop science and innovative materials. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Bayer Inc. operates the Bayer Group's HealthCare and MaterialScience businesses in Canada. Bayer Crop Science Inc., headquartered in Calgary, Alberta operates as a separate legal entity in Canada. Together, the companies play a vital role in improving the quality of life for Canadians - producing products that fight diseases, protecting crops and animals, and developing high-performance materials for applications in numerous areas of daily life. Canadian Bayer facilities include the Toronto headquarters and offices in Montréal and Calgary.
Bayer Inc. has approximately 800 employees across Canada and had sales of $853 million CDN in 2009. Globally, the Bayer Group had sales of over 31 billion Euro in 2009. Bayer Inc. invested approximately $50 million CDN in research and development in 2009. Worldwide, the Bayer Group spent the equivalent of over 2.7 billion Euro in 2009 in R&D. For more information, go to www.bayer.ca.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.
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* No interference has been observed with the CONTOUR test strips
tested with maltose and galactose concentrations up to 6.54 mmol/L
and 12.43 mmol/L respectively.
(xx) CONTOUR test strip results are not significantly affected by
hematocrit levels in the range of 0 per cent to 70 per cent.
(1) http://www.diabetes.ca/about-diabetes/what/prevalence/.
(2) http://www.diabetes.ca/files/Standing%20Committee%20on%20finance.doc.
(3) http://www.diabetes.ca/about-diabetes/living/insulin/should-know.
For further information: or to book an interview with Dr. Parikh or a Diabetes Nurse Educator, please contact: Collin Matanowitsch, Account Executive, MS&L, (416) 847-1330, [email protected]; Tiana DiMichele, Business Communications Partner, Bayer Inc., (416) 240-5240, [email protected]
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