Diabetes is a growing problem in the UAE – but the groundwork is being laid for improved outcomes. Amr Saeed, Corporate Affairs Director for Eli Lilly Gulf, Levant, and Pakistan, looks at some of the latest developments.
Diabetes is a global pandemic that is not going away, with 16.3% of adults in UAE aged between 20 and 79 years afflicted by the disease – a number that is expected to double by 2040.
Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes in the UAE, with weight, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, and poor diets linked to the illness.
If diabetes is not detected and well managed, it can lead to severe complications and, ultimately, premature death. And yet an estimated the 50 percent of people living with diabetes are undiagnosed. This may be due to lack of awareness about symptoms, or absence of regular health screening, for example.
Being part of the pharmaceutical industry, at Lilly, our number one priority is to work with different stakeholders to improve diabetes healthcare outcomes, with patients at the centre of this process.
Building a healthcare ecosystem
The first task is to prevent diabetes. While Type 1 diabetes and some of the risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, such as family history, can’t be avoided, there are many other risk factors that we can control.
For example, in the UAE, we are fortunate to have a government that is redefining healthcare by moving from sick care towards prevention.
Specifically for diabetes, this includes several education programmes in schools and workplaces, together with fitness and awareness programmes, such as the ongoing Dubai Fitness Challenge, which encourage lasting healthy habits.
The UAE has also done some vital work in advancing innovations and fostering an environment that incentivizes advancements in treatments and care. This summer, Dubai Health Authority launched an analytics-based, digital-led programme, Ejadah, that will form the foundation for value-based healthcare adoption. The platform is expected to lead to faster claim approvals, minimise waste of healthcare expenditure, and focus on preventive care, while allowing access to next-generation technology.
Technology is also playing a key role in patient outcomes monitoring. However, a pre-requisite to using technology is to complete important work around data privacy. Such data plays a key role in under- standing disease management, progression to improve patient care.
Another form of providing local data is Real-World Evidence (RWE). RWE are studies that aim to provide insights on diseases, medicines, patient populations and healthcare practices. This landscape continues to evolve rapidly in the UAE, and Lilly has embarked on this journey to support providing local data across different therapy areas, including diabetes.
Partners for success
Another advantage of this developing health ecosystem is that it allows for rapid introduction of innovative medicines and treatments. Thanks to legislative reforms, the UAE has been repeatedly one of the first countries to launch innovative therapies, while always advancing the healthcare system to expand access to medicines for patients who need them.
Most recently, the UAE was the first country to approve and launch our innovative diabetes treatment, a new class of medication in nearly a decade, just one month after it received FDA approval in the US. This is a true testament to the country’s commitment to advance access to innovative therapies, protect innovation, and reward it. This was also an exceptional milestone for Lilly, as we were the first company that made insulin commercially available 100 years ago. Discovering and launching a new class of medicines in the occasion of our insulin centennial speaks to our long-lasting commitment to help people living with diabetes.
Thanks to legislative reforms, the UAE has been repeatedly one of the first countries to launch innovative therapies, while always advancing the healthcare system to expand access to medicines for patients who need them.
I believe the role of pharmaceutical companies does not stop there. Making sure that patients can access innovative treatments is at the centre of our work. Lilly’s Sawiyan programme in the UAE was introduced to support patients who have affordability challenges to help them access the medicines they need. This programme is supported by the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention.
Lilly is also working with the Emirates Diabetes Society in the UAE and other industry stakeholders to support efforts on patient education, access to treatment, and healthcare providers’ engagement and awareness about innovations.
Finding a cure for diabetes is the ultimate dream. But the reality today is that tangible steps can help prevent diabetes through education and lifestyle changes, and improvements to the management of diabetes is possible through early detection, innovative treatments, and regular health screening.
