Beirut, Lebanon – February XXX 2017: Boehringer Ingelheim, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, recently held its 2nd Cardio Metabolic Summit in Lebanon. The company hosted more than 300 endocrinologists and cardiologists as well as a media roundtable to focus on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and the disease’s relationship with cardiovascular risk.
Participants during the event provided a pragmatic approach on how treatment can be further simplified with the leading classes of current oral treatment options, and providing individualized approaches for type 2 diabetes management. Healthcare professionals from the region noted that cardiovascular disease is the underlying cause in over half of deaths in people with type 2 diabetes and is the principal cause of death.[1]
In 2015, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), there were 464,200 cases of diabetes in Lebanon. The number of diabetes related deaths accounted for 5,723.8 for the same year, where the cost of treatment and management per person is USD 870.2.
Professor Salim Jambart, Emeritus Professor of Endocrinology, and former head of the Endocrinology and metabolism division at Hotel-Dieu de France Hospital said, “The rapid change of lifestyle in
Lebanon has led to increased rates of type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle interventions and adherence to medications are central to disease prevention and management. The SGLT2 inhibition treatment paradigm aims at reducing the overall reabsorption of glucose into the bloodstream, allowing excess glucose to pass through the urine, leading to urinary glucose excretion. SGLT2 inhibition is important because the management of type 2 diabetes is complex and challenging – a large number of people with the disease do not achieve their blood glucose targets.”[2]
“Given the important relationship of CVD and diabetes, a broad range of studies are being conducted on a several new treatments of the same class, with the objective of closely investigative long-term clinical CV outcomes of adults suffering from type 2 diabetes and are at high risk for CV events. Primary Results have showed a significant reduction of all-cause mortality of cardiovascular related deaths.” added Professor Jambart.[3]
Dr. Maurice Khoury, Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology at the American University in Beirut’s Medical Center (AUBMC) also noted that, “The continuous change of lifestyle in Lebanon and generally, across the region generally increased the prevalence of chronic diseases, which includes diabetes and hypertension. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in people with type 2 diabetes worldwide and reducing cardiovascular risk, including death, is an essential component of diabetes care.”
“The relationship between diabetes and CVD is complex; diabetes is a risk factor for CVD and conditions such as high blood pressure and obesity, that are more common in people with diabetes, are also risk factors for CV disease[4]. Moreover, 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,” added Dr. Khoury.
Fouad Jeweidi, Boehringer Ingelheim Country Head of Lebanon said, “At Boehringer Ingelheim, we continue to host leading discussions in Lebanon and across the region that shed light on best practices in overall T2D management. Being diagnosed with T2D iss a critical life event, a main reason why we have heavily invested in current resources to find innovative solutions that address this growing burden in Lebanon and throughout the region. We are guided by a clear determination to provide sustainable solutions that place patients at the core.”
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About Boehringer Ingelheim
Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, Boehringer Ingelheim operates presently with a total of some 50,000 employees worldwide.
The focus of the family-owned company, founded in 1885, is on researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing new medications of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.
Social responsibility is an important element of the corporate culture at Boehringer Ingelheim. This includes worldwide involvement in social projects through, for example, the initiative “Making More Health” while also caring for employees. Respect, equal opportunity and reconciling career and family form the foundation of mutual cooperation. The company also focuses on environmental protection and sustainability in everything it does.
In 2015, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of about 14.8 billion euros. R&D expenditure corresponds to 20.3 per cent of net sales.
For more information please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.com
[1] Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4127581/
[2] Ehrenkranz, J. R. L. et al. Phlorizin: a review. Diabetes Metabolism Research/Reviews. 2005;21:31–38.
7http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Diabetes/WhyDiabetesMatters/Cardiovascular-Disease-Diabetes_UCM_313865_Article.jsp/#.VwEOm_l96XI
[4] World Heart Federation. Diabetes as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Available from: http://www.world-heart-federation.org/cardiovascular-health/cardiovascular-disease-risk-factors/ diabetes/