New drug ‘promising’

A new drug with the potential to significantly reduce Barbados’ alarming number of diabetic amputations has been introduced.
Chief operating officer of the Barbados Diabetes Foundation Dr Simone McConnie and chairman Dr Oscar Jordan reacted with excitement yesterday after accepting a donation of a sample quantity of the drug TetraStem from financial consultant Hal Martin.
Martin invited American podiatrist Dr Christopher Otiko to Barbados to share information with the Foundation about his success treating patients with the drug over the past two years and the two local diabetes specialists concluded TetraStem offered high potential for healing diabetic wounds and saving limbs.  
Jordan said with 230 to 240 amputations performed every year, this was the most feared complication of diabetes in Barbados, “and the worrying thing is that the percentage of lower extremity amputations is increasing”. He was also concerned that 30 per cent of people who had lower limb amputations the first year and about 60 per cent within five years.