Having two kids living with diabetes means I’m…..well the father of two children living with diabetes. As such, all sorts of things come to our house, mostly via the US Mail.
We received a notice the other day that stated;
Bayer AG (“Bayer”) is pleased to announce that it intends to sell its diabetes care business to Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co., Ltd. (Panasonic). a company which is backed by funds……blah…..blah…..blah….blah.
Panasonic will operate the Diabetes Care Business under the new name of Ascensia Diabetes Care……
There is also a highlighted blue box that states our information will be given over to Ascensia……and also information where to find press releases and further information….blah….blah……blah.
The sale of the company was for 1.13 billion dollars according to a June Wall Street Journal report.
June—–either I am late to the party or this got by me somehow, but I just received the letter this week (and I know others have written about this already). Is this a good thing. Does Bayer still care about us? Will Panasonic? Does anyone? They are “pleased to announce……”…….are we?
I’m not a big fan of change, I also understand that Budweiser no longer owns Budweiser; meaning that I get that in the corporate world mergers and acquisitions are as natural as the sun rising and the sun setting. But I also know that when we entered the diabetes world, our lives became unglued. One would have thought that there was some consistency with the corporate world surrounding the so many who need care; medical care…….right?
But when so many things get tilted, changed and thrown around……whether Asante Snap closes their doors, certain insulins will no longer be made, or even Bayer will cease being……well Bayer…….does anyone else ask……where are we in the mix? We being the people who either have or have loved ones with this disease…….where are we?
We are set adrift to find what we need to find to stay alive…….and we will. I bet if we wanted something from a company…..and we all got together and said we will buy your product no more unless you listen……..they would take notice……….or not; they could easily just sell off that division so they did not have to hear anymore can’t they?
I think we should be, and need to be, more of a partner in this diabetes battle with diabetes companies and not merely ‘users of products’……..yes?
I am a diabetes dad.
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