Virta Health announced today that one-year outcomes for its diabetes reversal tech proved successful on a number of levels.
San Francisco-based Virta’s results came from its multi-year partnership with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. Native Americans suffer from the highest rates of type 2 diabetes compared to any other ethnic group in the country, with nearly 15% of Native American adults having been diagnosed, according to a news release.
In the study of the Pequot Nation, based in Southeastern Connecticut, Virta observed promising results in A1c reduction, weight loss and insulin de-prescription.
At one year of treatment with the Virta platform, Pequot patients reduced their insulin prescriptions by 78%, while the tribe’s spend on diabetes-specific medications decreased by 72%, Virta said. A1c was reduced in 93% of patients, with an average decrease of 1.7% per patient. Additionally, 69% of patients lost more than 5% body weight, which is the benchmark for FDA-approved weight-loss drugs and is considered clinically significant.
The Pequot Nation reduced its total medication spend by 50%, totaling more than $3,800 per patient annually, with the expense of diabetes-specific medications decreasing by nearly 75%.
Virta Health launched in 2017 with a goal of reversing Type 2 diabetes using its technology platform to enable personalized remote care. Virta’s offerings include physician supervision, health coaches, an app and biomarker tracking tools, as well as a personalized nutrition plan for its patients in the hopes of reversing Type 2 diabetes.
In treating Pequot Nation patients, Virta’s health coaches provided personalized recommendations catering exclusively to each member’s dietary preferences, while providing care through a virtual model that connects patients with clinicians through an app regardless of location.
“By combining ancient wisdom with modern medicine, Virta has helped many of our members achieve health outcomes we never thought possible,” Pequot Tribal Nation CMO Dr. Setu Vora said in the release. “Diabetes has plagued Tribal Nations communities for decades. Now, Virta offers a solution that can truly reverse this epidemic and reduce the massive cost burden of this disease.”
