Merck Launches New Mobile Application for People with Type 2 Diabetes, Now Available on the Apple Store® (Vree)
Press Release, PR Newswire
September 13th, 2010
VreeTM for Diabetes 2.0 Helps Patients Manage Their Condition and Facilitates Communication with Healthcare Providers
Merck today announced the launch of a mobile application designed to be used by people with type 2 diabetes, physicians and diabetes educators to better understand and manage the disease. The application is now available on the Apple Store® Web site (iTunes.com, application program - search "Vree for Diabetes") for download to an iPhone or iPod touch® mobile digital device.
"Diabetes is a complex disease - only about 50 percent of Americans with diabetes receive formal diabetes education - therefore, diabetes self-management education is essential in helping patients manage the condition," said certified diabetes educator Monica Joyce, MS, RD, LD, CDE, program director at Sobel Medical Associates, Ltd. in Chicago. "Modern technology, such as Vree for Diabetes, provides another means of engaging patients and motivating them to become more involved in their own care."
Vree for Diabetes is a comprehensive set of easy-to-use tools developed to help people with type 2 diabetes track their blood sugar, medications, nutritional intake and activity level, with helpful features such as progress charts and live reminders. Unlike other health applications, Vree for Diabetes allows patients to conveniently store a wide variety of data in one place with 24-hour, on-the-go accessibility. The application can help people reach weight loss goals by offering lessons on advanced nutrition and exercise strategies, as well as diabetes basics, becoming more active and eating a healthier diet. It also has a tool people with diabetes can use to create reports, email and discuss them with their physician, diabetes educator or other healthcare providers.
The Vree for Diabetes nutrition tracker offers improved functionality allowing people to track food, exercise and activity throughout the day. Beverages, such as coffee, and meals, including salads and sandwiches can be built, personalized and saved for future use on the system to make it easy to measure specific food preferences, down to what kind of cheese you like on your sandwich.
"People with type 2 diabetes are faced with many decisions each day, including food choices, incorporating daily exercise and taking medications to manage their disease," said Len Tacconi, Executive Director, Merck. "Merck is committed to developing new tools that best meet the needs of the nearly 24 million people in the United States with type 2 diabetes. With Vree for Diabetes, we aim to help people incorporate diabetes management more easily into their individual lifestyles with a sophisticated, easy-to-use program available on their phone."
To download the Vree for Diabetes application for iPhone, visit the Apple Store Web site (iTunes.com, application program - search "Vree for Diabetes").
About Merck
Today's Merck is a global healthcare leader working to help the world be well. Merck is known as MSD outside the United States and Canada. Through our prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, and consumer care and animal health products, we work with customers and operate in more than 140 countries to deliver innovative health solutions. We also demonstrate our commitment to increasing access to healthcare through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. For more information, visit www.merck.com.