BROSSARD, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Feb. 16, 2015) - DIAGNOS Inc. ("DIAGNOS" or "the Corporation") (TSX VENTURE:ADK), leader in healthcare technical services including screening software and algorithm development, data analysis, and image processing, announces today that a pilot program for diabetic retinopathy screening will be carried out for one of the two main Public Health Institutions in Mexico.
Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetic eye disease and a leading cause of blindness around the world. It is a treatable disease that, as with most diseases, has a higher treatment success rate in its earlier stages. However, there are generally no symptoms until the disease has progressed to more severe stages, making early detection methods critical to helping prevent vision loss. Mexico has a population of 132 million people and, according to the International Diabetes Federation, has a diabetic population of 15 million, where is ranked 6th worldwide as a country on number of people with diabetes.
The pilot will be carried out by DIAGNOS' new office in Mexico. "We're investing in our Mexican subsidiary in order to provide adequate support to the Integrated Management of Diabetes by Stages (MIDE) program, a national strategy aimed to decrease the prevalence of Diabetes in Mexico. DIAGNOS is highly motivated to add a great deal of value to MIDE by maximizing the efficiency of preventive screening, promoting its accessibility in remote areas, interconnecting specialists with patients using telemedicine, and offering telemetrics, that is, the health institution will know the number of patients being screened in real-time," said Mr. Guillermo Moreno, Director of Business Development at DIAGNOS.
"Our commitment is to provide a turnkey solution to the Government of Mexico through its major public health care institutions, and, in turn, reduce the cost of diabetes to the government and prevent vision loss in Mexican population. In addition to showing the value of the comprehensive services we offer, this pilot will prove the uniqueness of DIAGNOS' technological platform CARA (Computer Assisted Retinal Analysis) in Mexico, as well as worldwide, in terms of image processing and enhancement," said Mr. André Larente, President and CEO of DIAGNOS.
About DIAGNOS
Founded in 1998, DIAGNOS is a publicly traded Canadian corporation with a mission to commercialize technologies combining contextual imaging and traditional data mining thereby improving decision making processes. DIAGNOS offers products, services, and solutions to clients in a variety of fields including healthcare and natural resources.
CARA is a tele-ophthalmology platform that integrates with existing equipment (hardware and software) and processes at the point of care (POC) and comprises: image upload, image enhancement automated pre-screening, grading by a specialist, and referral to a specialist. CARA's image enhancement algorithms make standard retinal images sharper, clearer, and easier to read. CARA is accessible securely over the internet, and is compatible with all recognized image formats and brands of fundus cameras, and is EMR compatible. CARA is a cost-effective tool for screening large numbers of patients, in real-time and has been approved by regulatory authorities including Health Canada, US Food and Drug Administration, and the European Union.
Forward-looking information
This document contains forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in these statements.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
For further information, please contact DIAGNOS, visit our website at www.diagnos.com, or visit the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.
Contact Information:
(450) 678-8882, ext.: 224
alarente@diagnos.ca