Still Reversing Diabetes, After All These Years
Virta Health’s two-year clinical results are miraculous for people living with type two diabetes around the world.
I’ve had type one diabetes for over 25 years.
There’s no known cure or reversal for what ails me, only treatment. I require some level of injectable insulin to stay alive, something I share with an ever-increasing number of people living with type two diabetes (T2D) globally. If we don’t adhere strictly to the regimen — and even if we do — we risk losing our sight, our limbs, and our lives far earlier than others.
And yet, I’m in awe of the opportunities before those living with type two — especially today. They now have a clinically validated path to complete reversal of their condition and other chronic ailments like high cholesterol, inflammation, and suboptimal sleep.
The team at Virta Health is to thank.
Today, Virta published results of its two-year peer-reviewed research from their ongoing (3+ years) clinical trial. Even if you’re not a clinician or a diabetic insider, these numbers are the type to restore your faith in the world. Given the scale of our diabetic epidemic — with T2D and prediabetes now affecting half of all adults in the U.S. — this doesn’t feel like a hyperbolic statement. Here’s an annotated selection of the numbers:
After all these years, 74% are still in the game.
Getting anyone to adhere to anything is hard, especially clinical trials. For Virta to retain three-quarters of participants after a full two years — on a complex program that ecompasses every calorie consumed, every day — is nearly miraculous. It also means that participants may simply be loving the results.
Nearly a full point shaved off HbA1c.
This is the holy grail for anyone with diabetes: getting one’s long-term measure of blood sugar, known as hemoglobin A1c, under 7.0. It’s the point below which potential complications are dramatically less likely to occur. For Virta participants to take almost a full point off their current number on average is life-altering.
Over half fully reversed their diabetes.
Building on the point above, 55% fully reversed their condition. This means their HbA1c number is below 6.5%, without the use of medication or only using Metformin. If you could guarantee anyone with diabetes an HbA1c number <6.5% with a program like Virta’s, I’m guessing nearly 100% would say “sign me up.”
And more, and more, and more (or more accurately, less, less, and less).
91% reduced or eliminated insulin usage. 81% decrease in average insulin dosage. 67% of diabetes-specific medication removed. 10% average reduction in body weight. 22% average reduction in triglycerides. Annualized medication cost reduction of $5,066. And the list goes on.
What Sami Inkinen and the team at Virta are doing is unique in Silicon Valley today. They’re not going after a slice of the issue with the goal of a turning a quick profit. Instead, they recognize the gravity of the problem — and the potential for long-term value creation — by solving it entirely. From the perspective of Obvious as an investor in Virta, my colleague Vishal Vasishth sums it up:
While many investors might shy away, we believe that these “leapfrog” approaches enabling an entirely new health care system represent both the biggest market and moral opportunities. Reimagining key elements of the health care stack — care, cures, and costs — should create a system that is affordable and equitable for everyone.
Virta, with its full-stack approach, is doing just that. Their data continues to speak for itself.
I can’t wait to see what happens next.
