Excellence in Patient Focus

Summary of work

A huge unmet need for teen-friendly support and information to be available in the public domain, was uncovered by Sanofi. Through market research, Sanofi discovered that teenagers with type 1 diabetes are vulnerable and in a critical adolescent period, dealing with many changes as they move from having their condition largely managed by a guardian to taking control of their diabetes themselves. 

It is critical that control of the condition is achieved at a young age and maintained from diagnosis throughout life. Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong commitment to inject and balance daily insulin doses in order to prevent potentially life-threatening imbalances in blood sugar leading to coma or death in the short term and serious complications that can even result in loss of limbs or eyesight in the long term.

To satisfy this unmet need and improve control of diabetes in young people, Sanofi aims to support type 1 teens to get talking, share their feelings and help them fit diabetes into their life. 

T1DStars was developed at a global level as a platform from which to facilitate dialogue between type 1 teens and the people around them to assist in better managing and understanding their condition.

Executive summary as submitted