San Francisco-based startup Virta Health's continuous remote care platform demonstrated considerable reversal of Type 2 diabetes after two years of continuous use in a study published June 5 in Frontiers in Endocrinology.
The Virta Health app-based platform provides patients with biomarker tracking tools to monitor factors including weight, blood glucose and beta-hydroxybutyrate, which then inform individualized treatment plans. The app also offers education and support regarding dietary, behavioral and lifestyle changes, as well as direct communication with a health coach and medical provider.
On average, after two years in an ongoing five-year clinical trial, patients using the app saw reductions in their glycated hemoglobin levels and body weight. More than 90 percent were able to reduce or eliminate their insulin dosage, and 67 percent of the group's diabetes-specific prescriptions were discontinued.
"These results are exciting because they give millions of people living with Type 2 diabetes proof that they can reverse their Type 2 diabetes, transform their health and reduce dependency on expensive medications — and sustain the rapid positive results for years," Sami Inkinen, Virta Health's cofounder and CEO, said in a statement. "We are getting patients off of drugs, like insulin, they thought they'd be on for the rest of their lives."
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