Why diabetes cases keep rising despite medical advances

According to the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, diabetes remains among the top five leading causes of death in the Philippines. Despite decades of advances in medical science and treatment, the number of cases continues to rise, prompting an important question: Why are more Filipinos still dying from a disease that is largely preventable and manageable? This was one of the key issues raised during the media briefing at the 50th anniversary celebration of Servier Philippines held on July 4, 2026, at the Fairmont Hotel in Makati City. Servier, a global pharmaceutical company and one of the pioneers in bringing oral anti-diabetes medication to the Philippines, gathered medical experts to discuss the country's growing diabetes burden. According to Dr. Augusto Litonjua, founder and president of the Philippine Center for Diabetes Education Foundation, Inc., healthcare has become too focused on reacting to elevated blood sugar levels instead of preventing the disease before it develops. "We are treating it incorrectly....we are probably doing it wrong," he said. "We are waiting for the blood glucose to go up and treat that. We are waiting for the blood glucose to go up, although not necessarily diabetic levels. And we are treating that. And that is wrong. We are not preventing diabetes." Dr. Augusto cited recommendations from the Lancet Commission, which emphasize identifying and treating people who are already at high risk of developing diabetes, even if their blood sugar levels remain within the normal range. These include people living with obesity, women who previously had gestational diabetes, children born to mothers with gestational diabetes, individuals with hypertension, and those with a family history of the disease. "In other words, those who have very normal glycemic levels at this time, but who have risk factors for diabetes, this is when we should diagnose...