European Steering Committee launch ‘A New Era in Diabetes Care’ report highlighting the need to improve the quality of care for people with type 2 diabetes and renal / cardiovascular complications

A new expert-led report has today been launched to help outline key challenges and inequalities in the care of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its associated renal and cardiovascular complications, and highlight some Calls to Action to try and address these gaps for the 53 million Europeans living with T2DM.¹ A New Era in Diabetes Care is a non-promotional disease awareness initiative that brings together a European Multidisciplinary Steering Committee of diabetes, nephrology and primary care experts, funded by Mundipharma International Limited. The report, authored by the Steering Committee, explores five main areas within the management of T2DM, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD):

• Healthcare professional and patient education on CKD and its signs
• Effective testing and interpretation of markers (clinical indicators) of CKD
• Greater understanding of the clinical management model amongst HCPs
• Use of shared decision-making to create an appropriate care plan for people with T2DM
• Regular monitoring and review of key performance indicators (KPIs) / treatment outcomes

“The complications of type 2 diabetes, such as chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease, are a huge burden on patients and healthcare systems and with the increasing prevalence of the disease, the situation is expected to get worse. These two complications are directly linked, so by treating and slowing progression of chronic kidney disease, clinicians may also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in these patients,” commented Professor David Wheeler, Chair of the A New Era in Diabetes Care Steering Committee, and Professor of Kidney Medicine at University College London, Honorary Consultant Nephrologist at the Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. “This report highlights how critical it is for physicians to screen early for chronic kidney disease, treat appropriately, and regularly review treatment outcomes in their patients, to prevent the development of serious complications.”

The Steering Committee also discussed the management of T2DM and its complications through the lens of COVID-19, and agreed that annual screening for CKD should continue to take place while also protecting people with T2DM, by following the relevant shielding guidelines and using telemedicine where appropriate.

Approximately 59 million people in Europe currently live with diabetes, which is set to rise to 67 million by 2045.¹ If left untreated, patients are at greater risk of developing serious health complications, such as renal disease and cardiovascular disease, which are the two most common causes of death for T2DM patients.^2,3 It is estimated that more than 40% of people with T2DM will develop CKD,⁴ and nearly a third will develop CVD.²

As part of the A New Era in Diabetes Care initiative, Mundipharma conducted a general public survey of 9,143 adults in eight countries across Europe, which uncovered several gaps in the awareness of T2DM and its links with other systemic complications such as CKD and CVD.⁵ Nearly half of survey respondents (42%, n=3,840) were unaware there are two main types of diabetes (type I and type 2) and almost all (94%, n=8,594) were unaware that nine out of 10 people with diabetes have T2DM. When asked what they thought were the most serious complications of T2DM, only a third (32%, n=2,926) of respondents chose CKD, and less than half (46%, n=4,206) chose CVD, despite these being two of the main causes of death in this patient population.^2,3

Participants were also unsure when it came to the symptoms of CKD, with just 7% (n=640) correctly recognising that in the early stages of CKD, there are usually no symptoms, making it vital to conduct routine screening to diagnose it before it has progressed. In regard to treating CKD, almost half of respondents (43%, n=3,931) were unaware that although incurable, the worsening of the disease can be controlled by appropriate treatment and by managing blood pressure and blood sugar levels. The impact of CKD was also underestimated with only 29% (n=2,651) of people thinking it can have a major impact on someone’s mental health and less than half (47%, n=4,297) believing it to have a major impact on quality of life.

“The findings of this expert-led report, in addition to the recent survey results, emphasise that in both healthcare settings and amongst the general public, the kidneys are not top of the agenda when it comes to type 2 diabetes mellitus. This report aims to provide primary and secondary healthcare professionals with a structured care plan for patient-focused prevention, monitoring and treatment of chronic kidney disease in type 2 diabetes,” said Dr Vinicius Gomes de Lima, European Medical Affairs Lead, Mundipharma.

The report can be downloaded here: https://www.dcvd.org/tl_files/download/Bilder/A%20New%20Era%20in%20Diabetes%20Care%20Report.pdf

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Notes to the editors:

About the A New Era in Diabetes Care initiative

In February 2020, a group of eight European primary and secondary care healthcare professionals (HCPs) with expertise in diabetes and nephrology formed the ‘A New Era in Diabetes Care’ Steering Committee, with the mission to:

• Highlight the challenges and inequalities across European countries in the prevention, monitoring and treatment of T2DM and its associated complications, with a focus on CKD and CVD
• Outline what can be done to improve the quality of care and outcomes for people living with T2DM and its complications.

The Chair of the Steering Committee is Professor David Wheeler, Professor of Kidney Medicine at University College London and Honorary Consultant Nephrologist at the Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust, London. Other members include:

• Professor Antonio Ceriello, Head of Diabetes Department at IRCCS MultiMedica, Milan
• Dr Francesc Xavier Cos, Director of Sant Martí Primary Health Centres, Barcelona and Chairman of Primary Care Diabetes Europe
• Professor Melanie Davies, Professor of Diabetes Medicine, Leicester Diabetes Centre
• Dr José Luis Górriz, Head of Nephrology, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia and Associate Lecturer of Medicine, Universidad de Valencia
• Professor June James, Consultant Nurse in Diabetes, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and Associate Professor
• Dr Esteban Jódar, Head of Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospitales Universitarios Quirónsalud Madrid de Pozuelo, Professor of Endocrinology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Madrid
• Professor Ronan Roussel, Head of Endocrinology-Diabetology-Nutrition, Bichat Hospital, AP-HP Paris

The ‘A New Era in Diabetes Care’ initiative has been made possible by financial support from Mundipharma International Limited, who has provided logistical support, as well as honoraria for the Steering Committee. Mundipharma International Limited has had no input into the content of the report but have checked for factual accuracy. Final editorial control of the report remains with the Steering Committee.

About the Mundipharma network

Mundipharma is a global network of privately-owned independent associated companies whose purpose is To Move Medicine Forward. With a high performing and learning organisation that strives for innovation and commercial excellence through partnerships, we have successfully transformed and diversified our European portfolio of medicines to create value for patients, healthcare professionals, payers and wider healthcare systems across important therapeutic areas such as Diabetes, Oncology, Biosimilars, Anti-Infectives and Respiratory.

References:

¹ IDF Diabetes Atlas Ninth Edition 2019. Available at: https://www.diabetesatlas.org/upload/resources/material/20200302_133351_IDFATLAS9e-final-web.pdf Last accessed May 2020

² Einarson T, Acs A, Ludwig C. et al. Prevalence of cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetes: a systematic literature review of scientific evidence from across the world in 2007-2017. Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2018 Jun 8;17(1):83.

³ Tuttle K, Bakris G, Bilous R. et al. Diabetic kidney disease: a report from an ADA Consensus Conference. Diabetes Care. 2014; 37(10):2864-83.

⁴ Alicic R, Rooney M, Tuttle K. Diabetic Kidney Disease: Challenges, Progress, and Possibilities. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2017; 12(12):2032-45.

⁵ Mundipharma International Limited General Public Diabetes Awareness Survey. Carried out by Research Without Barriers from 15-27 April 2020. Data on file.

Job code: MINT/DIAB-20009

Date of preparation: June 2020

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Contact information

Cendrine Banerjee-Quetel
Asset Communications Associate, Mundipharma International Ltd
Email: Cendrine.Banerjee-Quetel.external@mundipharma.com
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 393 009

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