Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan welcomed the Government’s announcement of $54.5 million for research into Type 1 Diabetes, saying it gives new hope to those in our community living with the disease.
“Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Australia will receive $25 million to advance its Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network,” he said.
“An additional $4.5 million will be provided to JDRF Australia over three years to further assist with the strategic vision and national leadership of the research network.”
An initial investment of $25 million will also be dedicated to broader Diabetes research to help early discoveries progress to clinical trials.
“We are aware of the significant impact that Diabetes has on people and their families. We are committed to working towards the broad prevention of the disease,” Mr Hogan said.
“While Type 1 Diabetes is a difficult area to research, the funding we are announcing will help researchers to ultimately find a cure.
“Type 1 Diabetes is a life-long auto-immune disease that usually occurs in childhood but can be diagnosed at any age.
“It is one of the most common chronic diseases in children and most newly diagnosed cases are in people less than 15 years old. At present, there is no cure for Type 1 Diabetes and no proven approach to prevent the disease occurring.
“The research investment is on top of recently announced funding of more than $100 million to support Australia’s continuous glucose monitoring program.”
Mr Hogan said the Government will expand free access to glucose monitoring devices for pregnant women, children and more adults with Type 1 Diabetes, saving people up to $7000 a year.
“This investment will ensure that free glucose monitoring devices are available to over 37,000 eligible people, including many in our community with Type 1 Diabetes from March, this year,” he said.
“Continuous glucose monitoring devices bring peace of mind to Australians with Type 1 Diabetes and improve their quality of life now and into the future.”
“The Government also plans to add the new FreeStyle Libre glucose monitoring device to the scheme to provide greater choice to people with Diabetes.”
