Lebanon, Beirut, April 25th 2015 – Boehringer Ingelheim, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, held a press conference at Le Vendome Hotel in Beirut, to shed light on the latest changes in Cardiovascular (CV) implications related to Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) management, in coincides with the launch of the latest innovative product Empagliflozin in the country. The press conference gives insightful information on the landmark trial in T2D management “EMPA-REG OUTCOME®”.
In order to raise awareness among members of the press and to educate the wider public, four distinguished speakers were hosted to discuss the holistic new approach to manage T2D, which focused on new approaches to reduce blood sugar levels, as well as reduction of the cardiovascular implications for type 2 diabetic patients.).
Mr. Fouad Jeweidi, Boehringer Ingelheim Country Head of Lebanon said:” We at Boehringer Ingelheim are committed to finding convenient solutions to T2D patients. We know that being diagnosed with T2D is a critical moment of long-life disease; this is why our focus is to provide innovative approaches in managing this disease to meet the needs of people who are affected. Our innovative researches and constant thrive for the betterment of our patients’ lives are reflected in breakthrough studies and products.”
Dr. Mounzer Saleh, President of the Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Lipids intervened saying: “According to studies done in Lebanon on diabetic patients, the prevalence averaged between 11 and 13% in patients of more than 20 years of age, depending on the population screened; yet it is still less than the prevalence in neighboring countries.”
Dr. Mounzer Saleh added : “People with T2D are at increased risk of heart disease and stroke. When patients have both hypertension and diabetes, which is a common combination, the risk for cardiovascular disease doubles. As per the WHO Multinational Study of Vascular Disease in Diabetes, cardiovascular disease was the most common underlying cause of death, accounting for 52% of deaths in type 2 diabetes. Here comes the importance of continuous efforts invested in new developments in treatment of T2D, that aims not only at better controlling blood sugar, but also at reducing the disease related complications, mainly the Cardiovascular ones”.
Moreover, Dr. Selim Jambart, Emeritus Professor of Endocrinology, the former head of the Endocrinology and metabolism division at Hotel-Dieu de France Hospital said that: ”Reducing cardiovascular risk is an essential component of diabetes management. Metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance syndrome are both associated with an increase in CVD risk even in the absence of glucose intolerance. Despite all efforts to reduce CV outcomes, no such endpoint was obtained so far with the available medications, that has been explained to be related to some side effects associated with the drugs, such as weight gain and hypoglycemia”.
Dr. Jambart added: “Recently a new method has been proposed to reduce blood sugar, through enhancing its urinary excretion. This new class has been called SGLT2-inhibitors as they inhibit SGLT2-receptor, the site of sugar reabsorption.”
Given the association between CV disease and diabetes, Boehringer Ingelheim conducted a clinical trial, the EMPA-REG OUTCOME®, based on the request of the FDA, to prove the CV safety profile of this new class of medication. It is a long-term clinical trial which investigated CV outcomes in more than 7,000 adults with T2D. EMPA-REG OUTCOME® was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The study was designed to assess the effect of the new medication added to standard of care compared with placebo in adults with T2D at high risk of CV events and with less than optimized blood glucose control. The study not only proved the drug safety but also showed unexpectedly, for the first time, important benefits with respect to the CV outcome being as follows:
– 38% relative risk reduction of death from CV cause, significantly lower than placebo.
– 35% relative risk reduction in hospitalization for Heart Failure.
– 32% relative risk reduction of death from all-cause mortality, versus placebo.
– 14% reduction in the risk of the composite of CV death, non-fatal MI or non-fatal stroke when added to standard care in T2DM patients at high risk of CV events.
As for Dr. Omar Hamoui, Director of Interventional Cardiology at Clemenceau Medical Center commented by saying that:” In fact, the impact of diabetes on cardiovascular disease has been well established and thoroughly discussed. It is well known that cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in people with type 2 diabetes. Treatment of diabetes with available medications, including insulin, has been marginally beneficial from the heart perspective. The release of EMPA-REG OUTCOME® results were received with great enthusiasm, as Empagliflozin, an antidiabetic drug not only treats diabetes, but far more, leads to great cardiovascular benefit even in Type 2 Diabetes patients with advanced heart disease. The number needed to treat (NNT), which is used to measure efficacy and cost-effectiveness, was comparable to Statin drugs and ACE-inhibitors in established CV disease. It is a true scientific breakthrough!”
Members of the press and health representatives assisted to a very informative session on an issue that needs to be well communicated in order to generate higher awareness.