Healthcare | Monday 2 February, 2015 12:14 am |

Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is the most common form of diabetes often leading to chronic complications like cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, liver disease and nerve damage. Increasing incidence of diabetes is putting people at an increasing risk of developing these complications. As a result, doctors and scientific studies have been increasingly stressing the importance of adopting an effective treatment approach, which has minimal effect on organs like the kidney and heart.

Boehringer Ingelheim, a leading pharmaceutical company, organized the “Directions in Diabetes - Exploring Options for Patient Care” educational session during the Arab Health Congress, bringing together leading endocrinologists to highlight the importance of adopting safe and effective treatment programs for patients while helping them understand their disease. The event was aimed at providing a platform for encouraging informative discussion and sharing insights into the efficacy of novel DPP-4 inhibitors as well as SGLT2 inhibitors as treatment options for people with T2D.

“Newer classes of treatment such as DPP-4 and SGLT2 inhibitors support individualized treatment plans for patients and help in achieving better outcomes. With the introduction of newer therapies, achieving glycemic control has become easier for patients,” said Dr. Abdulrazzaq Al Madani, Endocrinologist and
Physician at Burj Medical Centre, UAE

“The rising incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in the region is becoming a matter of critical concern as it not only impacts the significant increase of ensuing complications like kidney or cardiovascular disease, but also impacts society with rising expenditure on treatments. People have accepted it as a lifestyle disease without knowledge of the ensuing life-threatening complications which need to be controlled. One of our priorities is to help patients understand their disease and take precautions,” said Dr. Saud Al Sifri, Chairman of Endocrinology and Diabetes Department at Al Hada Armed Forces Hospitals, Saudi Arabia.

DPP-4 inhibitors act by inhibiting the degradation of incretion hormones, thereby increasing insulin release in a glucose-dependent manner and decreasing the levels of circulating glucagon. Boehringer Ingelheim’s DDP-4 inhibitor, introduced for the treatment of adults with T2D, is primarily excreted through the bile and the gut rather than through renal elimination.3 This allows the use of the medication even in patients with failing liver or kidney function.6

SGLT2 inhibition reduces reabsorption of glucose into the bloodstream, allowing excess glucose to pass through the urine, leading to urinary glucose excretion. It has been shown to be an effective way of lowering blood glucose in the management of T2D with a positive effect on body weight and blood pressure.8-11

Boehringer Ingelheim also introduced the first physician results from IntroDia™, a global survey about early conversations in T2D, which will include insights from more than 10,000 patients with T2D and more than 6,700 treating physicians, across 26 countries. From the Middle East, 60 physicians from Saudi Arabia and UAE participated in the survey. The aim of the survey is to understand how physicians and people with T2D conduct early conversations and the challenges faced during these conversations. Being diagnosed with T2D can be a challenging and emotional period, which many people find overwhelming. A person is faced with a range of challenges, including taking new medication and making lifestyle changes, which can trigger psychological distress.4, 5

“It is one of our constant efforts to understand the treatment challenges being faced by doctors and patients and the need for advanced medication, which can help people achieve better outcomes with minimal effects on their lives,” said Karim El Alaoui, Managing Director, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Boehringer Ingelheim.

Some of the highlights include:6

Over three quarters of the surveyed physicians (76-100% across 26 countries) agreed that conversations at diagnosis impact the way people with T2D accept their condition, as well as their treatment adherence.
The challenges most commonly reported by physicians during diagnosis conversations were that patients do not always keep up with the required changes, returning to old habits. Physicians also reported not having enough time to carry out important conversations with patients.
Physicians reported that treatment success is dependent on both behavioral change and the efficacy of medication in approximately equal measures which resulted as a 50-50% from the survey.
Most physicians surveyed (92%) also indicated they would like tools to help people with T2D sustain behavioral change.


Boehringer Ingelheim

The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, Boehringer Ingelheim operates globally with 142 affiliates and a total of more than 47,400 employees. The focus of the family-owned company, founded in 1885, is researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing new medications of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

Taking social responsibility is an important element of the corporate culture at Boehringer Ingelheim. This includes worldwide involvement in social projects, such as the initiative “Making more Health” and caring for the employees. Respect, equal opportunities and reconciling career and family form the foundation of the mutual cooperation. In everything it does, the company focuses on environmental protection and sustainability.

In 2013, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of about 14.1 billion euros. R&D expenditure corresponds to 19.5% of its net sales.