- Under the theme ‘Control your Diabetes- Care for your Heart-“ a panel discussion was held to raise awareness on the relationship between Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk
- New drug Jardiance® (Empagliflozin) launched today during the event.
- Empagliflozin was shown to reduce the relative risk of cardiovascular deaths by 38 percent in the EMPA-REG OUTCOME® trial over a median of 3.1 years.
- EMPA-REG OUTCOME® Trial identifies that Empagliflozin significantly improve quality of life by blocking reabsorption of blood sugar
- Cardiovascular diseases cause up to 46 per cent of deaths in Egypt
Egypt, Cairo - 6 June 2017: Boehringer Ingelheim, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, has brought together top endocrinologists, experts in internal medicine and primary care physicians under the theme ‘Control your Diabetes - Care for your Heart’ to highlight new solutions in Type 2 diabetes management. Cardiovascular disease, the primary cause of death in Type 2 diabetes, can cause up to 46 per cent of deaths in Egypt.
During the session, doctors presented the latest findings of the EMPA-REG OUTCOME® Trial, a dedicated cardiovascular outcomes trial in people with Type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease. The trial took place in 590 clinical sites in 42 countries with 7,020 participants and was observed for a median duration of 3.1 years.
A new drug to manage risk factors associated with Type 2 Diabetes was also launched at the event. Empagliflozin is the only oral Type 2 diabetes medicine approved for Type 2 diabetes management with additional benefit to prevent cardiovascular death in adults with Type 2 diabetes. The drug was shown to reduce the relative risk of cardiovascular deaths by 38 percent in the EMPA-REG OUTCOME® trial.
New approaches to reduce blood sugar levels were amongst topics discussed by the experts during the panel discussion. Blood sugar, if uncontrolled affects the body’s circulatory system, leading to complications such as coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, and stroke in the case of large blood vessels and diabetic nephropathy, neuropathy, and retinopathy when smaller vessels are damaged.
The landmark EMPA-REG OUTCOME® trial is a long-term cardiovascular outcome trial assessing the effect of adding an oral, once daily, highly selective Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor that works by blocking the reabsorption of blood sugar by the kidney, and supports standard of care compared with placebo added to standard of care in adults with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease.
The trial showed that adding the inhibitor reduced initiation of kidney replacement therapy, such as dialysis by 55 percent, a 44 percent reduction in doubling of creatinine (a waste product usually filtered by the kidneys) in the blood, and progression to macroalbuminuria (very high levels of a protein called albumin in the urine) by 38 percent.
Dr. Professor. Ibrahim Naguib Elebrashy, Professor of Internal Medicine at Cairo University said: “Reducing cardiovascular risk is just as essential to diabetes management. The EMPA-REG OUTCOME® trial investigates long-term clinical cardiovascular outcomes. SGLT2 inhibition has been shown to be an effective way of lowering blood glucose in the management of Type 2 diabetes with a positive effect on body weight and blood pressure.”
“SGLT2 reabsorbs sugar filtered by the kidneys back into the bloodstream. This reabsorption continues the cycle of high blood sugar in people with Type 2 diabetes, since the amount of filtered sugar is directly related to the concentration of sugar in the blood. SGLT2 inhibition reduces reabsorption of sugar into the bloodstream, allowing excess glucose to pass through the urine,” added Dr. Professor Yehia. M. Ghanem, Head of Internal Medicine and Diabetes, Alexandria University Hospitals.
The WHO predicts that the number of those expected to suffer from diabetes in Egypt will rise to 6,726,000 by 2030. The prevalence of diabetes and risk factors is as much as 14.2 per cent in males and 18.2 per cent in females.
Moreover, Prof. Dr. Hesham El Hefnawy, Dean of Egypt National Institute for Diabetes & Endocrinology noted: “Diabetes is on the rise in Egypt, representing a major threat to people’s lifestyles and overall health conditions. At the same time, cardiovascular incidences are have also increased over the last few decades in Egyptians due to the high prevalence of major lifestyle risk factors including stress, smoking and poor diet. Completing the annual cycle of care can help achieve better outcomes for people with diabetes. Regular assessments can prevent complications and other adverse outcomes associated with the disease.”
Mohamed El Dababy, Boehringer Ingelheim’s Head of Human Pharma and General Manager Near East Middle East and Africa (NEMEA) said, “With an increasing section of the population diagnosed with diabetes, the need for ongoing clinical research has never been more important. In Boehringer Ingelhiem, Our focus is to provide innovative approach to managing T2D, and we are building upon our commitment to meet the diverse needs of people with diabetes and those who care for them. Through research and collaboration, our efforts reflect a growing range of product portfolios and a continued determination to provide sustainable solutions. We will keep on working to ensure innovative treatment options and approaches are available to help more patients. We are also committed to serving the medical community, with studies and product information to help address the needs of those living with diabetes.”
By 2040, the number of people with diabetes is expected to increase and reach 642 million (the equivalent of one adult in 10).It has been estimated that every six seconds a person dies of diabetes, which translates to over five million deaths a year worldwide. Life expectancy of people with Type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk is, on average, decreased by up to twelve year with approximately 50 percent of deaths in people with Type 2 diabetes caused by cardiovascular disease.
For Social Media Content, please refer to the special document included in the media file or use the following #:
#Control_your_diabetes_Care_for_Your_Heart #disease #diabetes #heart #Egypt #Health #sports #nutrition
About Boehringer Ingelheim
Innovative medicines for people and animals have for more than 130 years been what the research-driven pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim stands for. Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the industry’s top 20 pharmaceutical companies and to this day remains family-owned. Day by day, some 50,000 employees create value through innovation for the three business areas human pharmaceuticals, animal health and biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing. In 2016, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of around 15.9 billion euros. With more than three billion euros, R&D expenditure corresponds to 19.6 per cent of net sales
Social responsibility comes naturally to Boehringer Ingelheim. That is why the company is involved in social projects, such as the “Making More Health” initiative. Boehringer Ingelheim also actively promotes workforce diversity and benefits from its employees’ different experiences and skills. Furthermore, the focus is on environmental protection and sustainability in everything the company does. More information about Boehringer Ingelheim can be found on www.boehringer-ingelheim.com
About EMPA-REG OUTCOME®
EMPA-REG OUTCOME® was a long-term, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of more than 7,000 people from 42 countries with type 2 diabetes at high risk for cardiovascular events.
The study assessed the effect of empagliflozin (10 mg or 25 mg once daily) added to standard of care compared with placebo added to standard of care. Standard of care was comprised of glucose-lowering agents and cardiovascular drugs (including for blood pressure and cholesterol). The primary endpoint was defined as time to first occurrence of cardiovascular death, non-fatal heart attack or non-fatal stroke.
Although the EMPA-REG OUTCOME® trial was not designed to assess the potential mechanisms behind the effect of empagliflozin on kidney outcomes, the kidney assessment was part of a pre-specified exploratory analysis plan of additional endpoints.
The overall safety profile of empagliflozin was consistent with that of previous trials.