SAN FRANCISCO – (BUSINESS WIRE) – Virta Health, the leading provider of type 2 diabetes reversals, today announced annual patient results from its multi-year partnership with Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, with promising results in A1c reduction, weight loss and insulin prescription. Notably, Pequot patients reduced their insulin prescriptions by 78% after one year of Virta treatment. These results also resulted in significant cost savings – after two years, the tribe’s spending on diabetes-specific drugs decreased by 72%.
Indians have the highest rate of type 2 diabetes (T2D) of any ethnic group in the country. Nearly 15% of Native American adults were diagnosed with T2D – twice as likely as non-Hispanic White Americans, according to the CDC. The Pequot Nation, a nationally recognized tribe in southeast Connecticut, is no different.
While other diabetes solutions had no significant impact in this population, Pequot Nation members used Virta over twelve months to achieve transformative results including:
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A1c reduction: 93% of patients reduced their estimated A1c (a measure of blood sugar) with an average decrease of 1.7%
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Rx Reduction: Patients eliminated 78% of diabetes-specific drugs, including a 78% reduction in prescribed insulin at 12 months
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At the beginning of the partnership, a 1000 unit vial of insulin lasted 9 days. On day 365, the same vial will last 63 days.
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Weight Loss: 69% of the patients lost more than 5% body weight. This is the benchmark for FDA approved weight loss drugs and what is considered clinically significant
In addition to the clinical implications, the partnership saved money for the strain. After two years, the Pequot Nation reduced their total medication spending by 50% to over $ 3,800 per patient per year. This is due to the positive effects of the treatment on various other conditions, such as high blood pressure, so that patients no longer need medication to treat them. The cost of diabetes-specific drugs also fell by almost three quarters.
“By combining ancient wisdom with modern medicine, Virta has helped many of our members achieve health outcomes that we never thought possible,” said Dr. Setu Vora, Chief Medical Officer of the Pequot Tribal Nation. “Diabetes has plagued tribal communities for decades. Now Virta offers a solution that can truly reverse this epidemic and reduce the massive cost burden of this disease. ”
To effectively treat Pequot Nation patients, Virta health trainers offer personalized recommendations tailored solely to each member’s nutritional preferences. The company offers care exclusively via a virtual model that connects patients with specialized diabetes clinicians via the Virta app regardless of location.
For a community that has deep connections to cultural and culinary traditions and is also more rural, these innovations are key to keeping adherence and loyalty high.
Heather Mars-Martins, a Pequot Health Care associate and a tribal elder within the Narragansett Tribal Nation, has been a Virta patient for nearly two years. After a surprise diagnosis of diabetes in 2003, Heather started on insulin almost immediately, with injections up to six times a day.
Since starting treatment, Heather has reduced her A1c by more than two points and eliminated the fast-acting insulin she had been on for 17 years. She also dramatically reduced her long-acting insulin dose to just one shot a day. Another side effect was more energy – Heather now walks up to 12,000 steps a day and plays with her young grandchildren.
“Diabetes is a family affair, and I’ve heard all my life that once you have it, you don’t come back,” said Heather Mars-Martins. “I sat on a hamster wheel with my diabetes for 17 years – I kept adding more insulin but never getting better. With Virta, my blood sugar is finally under control and almost without medication. I can do the things I love without fear of ups and downs. I got my life back. ”
Pequot Nation is currently offering Virta’s diabetes reversal treatment to its employees and tribal members and will be launching Virta’s prediabetes reversal and obesity treatments next month. In addition to Pequot Nation, Virta is also working with the Chickasaw Nation to reverse this epidemic in all American tribal nations.
Mars-Martins certainly hopes so. “Diabetes has been brutal to American Indians and I hope that soon more tribes will implement Virta to reverse the effects of this terrible disease.”
To learn more about Virta Health and its work with over 100 other large organizations, visit www.virtahealth.com
About Virta Health:
Virta Health helps people reverse type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions. Current approaches control the progression of the disease through increased use of drugs and infrequent visits to the doctor. Virta reverses type 2 diabetes through innovations in technology, nutritional science, and ongoing remote care from doctors and behavioral experts. In clinical trials, 94% of patients reduce or eliminate insulin use and weight loss exceeds FDA benchmarks by 150%. Virta works with the largest healthcare plans, employers and government organizations and puts 100% of its fees at risk based on clinical and financial results. To learn more about how Virta is changing lives by reversing type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases, visit www.virtahealth.com or follow us on Twitter @virtahealth.
About the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation:
The Mquantucket (Western) Pequot Tribal Nation is a nationally recognized Indian tribe located in one of America’s oldest Indian reservations, Mashantucket, in southeast Connecticut. As the pioneers of the Indian gaming casino industry, the history of the Mashantucket Pequots unveils one of America’s greatest comeback stories, on display at the tribe’s world-famous Mashantucket Pequot Museum. Today, the tribe owns and operates one of the largest Integrated Resort Casino destinations in North America, Foxwoods Resort Casino, as well as a variety of complementary businesses including a world-class golf course, luxury spa, Pequot Pharmaceutical Network, and Pequot Plus Health Benefit services . As one of Connecticut’s top-selling and largest employers, the Mashantucket Pequots contributed more than $ 4 billion in slot revenue to the state through a unique agreement signed in 1993. Likewise, the tribe has contributed hundreds of millions in donations and sponsorships to benefit needy communities and tribes locally and across the United States
