First international trial on diabetes prevention

Hope for millions: risk of diabetes and cardiovasculardisease can be drastically lowered by treatment at an early stage

Better and more cost-efficient treatment is possible

LEVERKUSEN (Germany/ots/APROTEXT) 29. 11. 2002. - LeverkusenTreatment at an early stage before diabetes finally becomesmanifest can drastically lower the risk of mortality, becausediabetics live dangerously: almost 70 percent die of myocardialinfarction or stroke. As the first trial on the prevention ofadult-onset (type II) diabetes 2 shows, Bayers antidiabetes drug(active ingredient: acarbose) reduces the risk of cardiovascularcomplications by almost one half. In addition, it lowers therisk of diabetes by up to 36 percent. The findings of the trialwere recently presented in Munich.

The clock starts ticking long before diabetes is diagnosed,warned the Principal Investigator of STOP-NIDDM (Study ToPrevent Non-Insulin- Dependent Diabetes Mellitus), ProfessorJean-Louis Chiasson from Montreal, Canada. A blood glucose test(oral glucose tolerance test) should be carried out for eachpatient to evaluate his or her personal risk, particularly incases where the patient is overweight or suffering from a lackof exercise. This is the only way the physician can obtainreliable information for preventive treatment. According toProfessor Chiasson, the trial comprised 1,429 patientsexhibiting a precursor stage to diabetes. The findings will bepublished in a renowned international journal.

As another study has shown, pathologically elevated post-prandial blood glucose levels damage the blood vessels and leadto arteriosclerosis. This time bomb can be disarmed by acarbose;the drug product prevents the blood glucose concentration fromincreasing excessively.

Nobody should rely on medicine alone, however, stressesProfessor Chiasson. Weight loss and regular exercise are thecornerstones of diabetes prevention.

It is estimated that 150 million people around the worldsuffer from diabetes. This figure is set to increase by around50 percent by 2010, with overweight adolescents beingincreasingly frequently affected.

We can now open a new chapter in the prevention and treatmentof diabetes, said Dr. Wolfgang Plischke, Head of BayerHealthCares Pharmaceuticals Division. The trial findings willlead to better and more cost-effective treatment because theyshow that severe complications can be avoided. Acarbose ismanufactured exclusively by Bayer.

Leverkusen, November 2002 di/ (2002-0365E)

Contact: Dr. Michael Diehl, Tel.: +49 (0)214 30-58532 E-mail: michael.diehl.md@bayer-ag.de

Information for editorial staff: A link to a comprehensivepress pack including photos is available on the Internet athttp://www.news.bayer.com. - 2 - - 3 -

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