Roche Diagnostics aims to capture the global glucose monitoring market. Sidhartha Roy, Business Unit Head – India & Neighbouring Markets, Roche Diabetes Care India reveals the company’s strategy for its star product Accu-chek Active, in an interview with Raelene Kambli
Tell us about Roche’s offerings in diabetes care?
Accu-chek is a well-known home blood glucose monitoring device in the market. So, what is its market share in India?
The market share data for every country varies depending on various factors including diabetes prevalence, SMBG penetration, health and lifestyle awareness etc. It may be tough to place a market share number to emerging markets as a whole. In India, Accu-chek is the market leader in the self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) market.
What is your USP?
‘Accuracy’ is the core benefit of Accu-chek Active, and is the crucial factor of self-monitoring. Only if the readings are accurate, will the person with diabetes be able to make lifestyle decisions in consultation with his/ her physician. Accu-chek Active has significant large number of loyal users in India, who have won their fight with diabetes through constant SMBG.
In India, Accu-chek Active has touched the lives of millions of people with diabetes.
What scope do you see SMBG in India?
In India, the concept of SMBG is in a nascent stage, compared to developed countries. Out of the over 63 million people with diabetes in India, SMBG penetration is very low. So, there is vast scope for expanding the SMBG market in India.
While it is heartening for us to note that we are market leaders in this space, we also realise the need to touch more people with diabetes, so that we help them manage their condition better. So, we undertake awareness programmes on the benefit of SMBG.
We launched a mass media campaign covering print publications, online and radio channels on ‘Real Heroes vs Diabetes’, where we featured people with diabetes leading a life of their choice, with the help of SMBG. This campaign enables us to reach out to people with diabetes across India, with the SMBG message.
How is the market for blood glucose monitoring devices currently?
Across the world, Roche is the market leader in SMBG, offering interesting and advanced SMBG solutions, including Accu-chek Connect, which enables store and maintain their monitoring data at a location where their physician can access it, and guide them on diet and lifestyle. We are also present in the insulin pump business.
Both India and China have very large number of people with diabetes and Roche is committed to make a difference in their daily lives by offering our diabetes monitoring solutions.
What is Roche’s strategy for the glucose monitoring market in India?
Our primary objective is to build awareness on the benefit that SMBG can have in the lives of people with diabetes.
We build awareness on the benefit of SMBG through an integrated awareness-building programme which would include pharmacist education, presence on social media to educate consumers, doctor communication and using mass media to reach out to people with diabetes.