Roche launches Accu-Chek® Pico to support ageing well with diabetes
Tokyo, Japan, 28 August, 2023 - Roche Diabetes Care Japan Co., Ltd. (herein referred to as "Roche Diabetes Care Japan", Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President: Noriko Hattori) today announced the launch of Accu-Chek Pico, a handy and fully disposable lancet device for blood glucose monitoring to enhance diabetes care for older people living with diabetes nationwide. Accu-Chek Pico will be available in medical institutions such as hospitals and retail pharmacies across Japan.
In recent years, Japan has been facing a rapidly ageing population where people aged 65 and above represent 29.1%1 of the total population. Similarly, there is a gradual increase in the number of older people with diabetes2, reflecting an urgent need to simplify diabetes management. For older adults with diabetes and the medical professionals who support them on their diabetes journey, learning and teaching them how to accurately use lancet devices for blood glucose monitoring is one of the key daily challenges of diabetes management.
The new Accu-Chek Pico was designed with older people in mind to give them the confidence to manage their diabetes independently with autonomy, minimising daily complexities and stress so that they can age well with diabetes. Featuring an easy-to-use, fully disposable lancet device that is also suitable for travel with a shallower lancing depth – medical professionals will be able to teach older individuals with diabetes who can learn how to use this simplified device with ease.
In terms of specifications, the new lancet device omits the button operation, thus enabling blood sampling by simply pressing the lancet body against one’s finger like a stamp. This is expected to stabilise the procedure and reduce the risk of lancing failure and pain. In addition, the needle is only exposed during lancing and the entire lancet device can be discarded after use, making it suitable for use in hospital wards where such considerations are crucial in preventing needlestick accidents and infection risks. There are two types of needle depths, 0.7 mm and 1.4 mm, so users can choose the specification best suited to their skin and needs.
Diabetes is reported to be a risk factor for the development of cognitive and ADL* decline, and sarcopenia** in an increasing number of older people, and that older individuals with diabetes are prone to hypoglycemia, including unawareness2). With the introduction of this new lancet device to support blood glucose monitoring alongside insulin therapy in some cases, the aim is to provide true relief to people with diabetes and facilitate continued treatment for early detection and intervention in case of hypoglycemia occurrence.
Accu-Chek Pico 0.7mm (left) and 1.4mm (right)
1. Statistics Topics No.129 (Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)
2. Shinichi Tamal, Ryo Suzuki, The Japanese Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine 99(3): 377-384, 2022.
*ADL (Activities of daily living): Ability to perform daily activities
**Sarcopenia: A phenomenon in which muscle mass decreases with age.
About Roche Diabetes Care
Roche Diabetes Care has been pioneering innovative diabetes technologies and services for more than 40 years. More than 4,500 employees in over 100 markets worldwide work every day to support people with diabetes and those at risk to achieve more time in their target ranges and experience true relief from the daily therapy routines.
Being a global leader in integrated Personalised Diabetes Management (iPDM), Roche Diabetes Care collaborates with thought leaders around the globe, including people with diabetes, caregivers, healthcare providers and payers. Roche Diabetes Care aims to transform and advance care provision and foster sustainable care structures. Under the brands RocheDiabetes, Accu-Chek and mySugr, comprising glucose monitoring, insulin delivery systems and digital solutions, Roche Diabetes Care unites with its partners to create patient-centred value. By building and collaborating in an open ecosystem, connecting devices and digital solutions as well as contextualising relevant data points, Roche Diabetes Care enables deeper insights and a better understanding of the disease, leading to personalised and effective therapy adjustments. For better outcomes and true relief.
Since 2017, mySugr, one of the most popular diabetes management apps, is part of Roche Diabetes Care.
For more information, please visit www.rochediabetes.com, www.accu-chek.com and www.mysugr.com.
About Roche
Founded in 1896 in Basel, Switzerland, as one of the first industrial manufacturers of branded medicines, Roche has grown into the world’s largest biotechnology company and the global leader in in-vitro diagnostics. The company pursues scientific excellence to discover and develop medicines and diagnostics for improving and saving the lives of people around the world. We are a pioneer in personalised healthcare and want to further transform how healthcare is delivered to have an even greater impact. To provide the best care for each person we partner with many stakeholders and combine our strengths in Diagnostics and Pharma with data insights from the clinical practice.
In recognising our endeavour to pursue a long-term perspective in all we do, Roche has been named one of the most sustainable companies in the pharmaceuticals industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the thirteenth consecutive year. This distinction also reflects our efforts to improve access to healthcare together with local partners in every country we work.
Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan.
For more information, please visit www.roche.com.
All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.
For more information please contact:
Roche Diabetes Care Japan Co., Ltd. Strategy & Marketing Department
Tel: (03) 6634-1114 (representative)
Business hours (JST)
Monday to Friday: 8:30 am to 5:15 pm
(closed on Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays and company holidays)
Charlene Sng
Communications Lead, Asia Markets
Roche Diabetes Care
Email: [email protected]