Prevalence of diabetes increases 30% over last four years in urban India

The prevalence of diabetes in urban India is accelerating at a rapid rate and now stands at 5.5 percent (just under 20 million people), compared with 4.6 percent in 2007 - equivalent to a 30 percent increase in actual population numbers over the last four years - according to new research by GfK HealthCare's Roper Global Diabetes Group. Moreover, a full 10 percent of these patients have been diagnosed in the past 12 months.

According to GfK HealthCare's 2011 Roper Global Diabetes Patient Study for India, insulin use has also made steady gains in India over the past decade - trending at almost a 50 percent increase - with current rates at 23 percent, up from 16 percent in 2001. Patients in India, more so than other emerging markets, depend to a high degree on a third party for administration of insulin (friend, relative or health care provider). Although 57 percent of patients self-inject, the remainder are injected either by a friend or relative (24 percent) or their health care provider (19 percent).

In the non-insulin sector, the use of oral medication (OAA) has remained at around 80 percent of diabetes patients in India over the last four years. Of note, although the Indian market has traditionally been comprised of patients on OAA monotherapy, 2011 figures show nearly 60 percent are on combination therapy, up significantly from the 2001 figures of 35 percent.

Also setting India apart from other diabetes markets is the low rate of blood glucose self-testing (includes testing by relatives/friends), where only 21 percent of patients self-test, a figure which is flat against 2007 rates though up from 2001, when self-testing rates were just 7 percent. More commonly, more than half of diabetes patients in India delegate the responsibility for blood glucose testing to their health care professional.

Another indicator of the infancy of the self-testing market in India is the low frequency of testing; an average of just 14 tests per month are claimed by self-testers, compared with a recommendation by health care providers of 38 tests per month. It is worth noting that cost may be a limiting factor to testing, as compared to the more developed markets; almost all patients in India have to pay for their testing meters and strips.

646 Diabetes Patients Share Their Insights

Reflecting insights from 646 diabetes patients in India, fielded via in-depth face-to-face interviews in the last quarter of 2010, GfK HealthCare's Roper Global Diabetes Group's 2011 Patient Study for India provides comprehensive perspectives of the country's diabetes market. The study offers comparable data back to 1996, across diabetes markets in 25 total countries.