Many Diabetes Patients are Ignoring Critical Blood Test:...

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Many Diabetes Patients are Ignoring Critical Blood Test: BioSafe Introduces

New Hemoglobin A1c Test Kit Designed to Make Compliance Easier for Diabetes

Patients Through Self-Collection of Blood Samples

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 14, 1999--

Company Launches Program to Educate Diabetes Community

on Importance of HbA1c Testing; Miss America 1999

and Furby Finger Puppet Play Key Role

While diabetes rages as the nation's seventh leading killer and

increasingly targets children, studies show that many diabetes patients are

ignoring an important blood sugar monitoring test -- the Hemoglobin A1c

(HbA1c) test -- that doctors deem critical to long-term management of the

disease. To counter the lack of compliance among many patients in taking this

laboratory test, BioSafe Diagnostic Products today introduced a new HbA1c

test kit that enables patients to collect their own blood sample for lab

analysis and physician interpretation with unprecedented convenience and

accuracy. The new BioSafe HbA1c test uses a proprietary method of

re-hydrating dried blood samples that produces readings as accurate as tests

conducted with liquid samples. The new test kit is available by prescription

only and can be purchased soon at pharmacies nationwide.

A landmark study (the 1993 Diabetes Control and Complications Trial)

showed that maintaining proper blood sugar control can reduce the risks of

diabetes-related complications -- including blindness, kidney failure and

nerve disease -- by a range of 35 percent to more than 70 percent. Hemoglobin

A1c testing is one of the best ways to determine overall blood sugar control.

Despite its importance, however, numerous studies show that diabetes patients

are often ignoring the HbA1c test. The American Diabetes Association

recommends that anyone with diabetes have an HbA1c test at least twice a

year. Every three months is better, especially for those using insulin.

" Recent surveys suggest that a majority of people with diabetes are

still not having the test done even once a year, " said Pitts, M.D.,

and immediate past president of the American Diabetes Association's Great

Lakes Region. " And so we have more work to do. "

" Until now, people with diabetes have typically had to follow up a

doctor's appointment with a second trip to a lab or clinic to have their

blood drawn for the HbA1c test, " said Hank Warner, president of BioSafe

Medical Technologies, Inc., the parent company of BioSafe Diagnostic

Products. " That's where the system would often break down

-- people just wouldn't go. BioSafe's new HbA1c test uses state-of-the-art

technology which makes the test more accessible to patients -- thereby

increasing opportunities for compliance. And, because it can be done in

advance of a patient's next doctor's appointment, that visit can be more

productive. In essence, the BioSafe HbA1c test can be the best first step to

a patient's next doctor visit. " Mr. Warner noted that physicians may also

administer the test in their office during the patient's visit.

" Studies have confirmed that the HbA1c test is the best test for a

health care provider to tell if a patient's blood sugar is under control, "

said Stuart Rollin Weiss, M.D., endocrinologist with the San Diego Endocrine

and Medical Clinic. " However, too many people with diabetes don't comply with

this critical test. BioSafe's HbA1c test is accurate and convenient and will

hopefully enable more people to get tested. " Education Effort

BioSafe today also announced the launch of a public education effort,

consisting of media outreach and distribution of videos, brochures and other

materials to the diabetes community, to help increase awareness of the HbA1c

test's important role in managing diabetes. Miss America 1999,

, an insulin-dependent diabetic, will serve as the spokesperson for

the campaign launch.

" Conscientious monitoring of my condition, including working with my

doctor to use the Hemoglobin A1c test, lets me enjoy a full life, " said Ms.

. " With BioSafe's new, self-collected test, there's no reason millions

of Americans can't take advantage of the same information that enables my

doctors and me to manage my diabetes effectively. " Ms. was diagnosed

with the disease in 1993.

To help increase compliance with the HbA1c test, particularly among

children, the company has worked with Tiger Electronics, Ltd./Hasbro, Inc. to

create a " doctor " finger puppet based on Furby, one of the world's best

selling toys. Children are typically affected with Type 1 (insulin-dependent)

diabetes, the disease's more severe form. Through an exclusive agreement with

Tiger Electronics, Ltd./Hasbro, Inc., all diabetes patients will receive a

Furby finger puppet when they purchase a BioSafe HbA1c test kit. In

addition, those who comply with the recommended number of four tests a year

will receive a complimentary electronic Furby toy.

Through the BioSafe Foundation, the company will also make its finger

puppet featuring Furby available for outside sale in order to raise money

for diabetes research, education and treatment. The company is already in

discussions with diabetes organizations and medical facilities around the

country to use the character for fund-raising. The BioSafe Foundation intends

to raise $3 million in its first year of operation.

How the BioSafe HbA1c Test Works

The BioSafe HbA1c test is easy to use. Patients can use the kit's

finger lancet to collect their blood while routinely checking their blood

sugar levels. After putting three drops of blood on a collection card, the

patient drops the card into a specially sealed packet and mails it in the

postage-paid envelope to BioSafe's laboratory for analysis. Results are

promptly forwarded to the patient's physician, who interprets the results and

adjusts treatment protocols accordingly. The test kit's price is $49.95 and

is covered by most insurance plans under C.P.T. Code #83036. For more

information, health care professionals and consumers can consult the

company's Web site: www.ebiosafe.com.

The BioSafe HbA1c test marks the first time the company's proprietary

micro-sample technology has been applied to diabetes management. Other tests

currently available are a Total Cholesterol Panel (lipid profile) for

management of coronary heart disease, Bone Alkaline Phosphatase (BAP) for

osteoporosis management, and Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) for prostate

cancer screening. Within the next 12 months three additional test are

scheduled for release: a Liver Enzyme Panel (GGT, AST, ALT), BUN and

Creatinine (kidney function), and TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone).

BioSafe Diagnostic Products, Inc. is a unit of Lincolnshire,

Illinois-based BioSafe Medical Technologies, Inc., which develops and markets

diagnostic products and services using proprietary micro-sampling technology,

to health care professionals and consumers. The company has developed

state-of-the-art Dried Blood Spot micro-sample testing procedures that enable

patients and physicians to work together to monitor various medical

conditions with unprecedented convenience, accuracy and cost-effectiveness.

The company is privately-owned and was founded in 1995.

CONTACT:

Healy Communications

or Steve McKay, 312/440-3900

or

Paige Wasson, 202/467-8235