Boehringer Ingelheim, one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany and Eli Lilly and Company announced results from an online poll conducted with more than 1,000 primary healthcare professionals (HCPs) across eight European countries surveyed on their current perceptions and challenges in treating people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) across Europe.

The online poll consisted of five questions powered to understand factors influencing the prescribing decisions of physicians when presented with a person with T2D. Physicians were required to rank the key treatment challenges and the importance of treatment characteristics such as impact on body weight, the possible need for a dose titration period and regularity of dosing. They were also asked whether cardiovascular risk affected their treatment decision and whether cardiovascular risk is, in general, underestimated by the HCP community.

Findings from the online poll have demonstrated that 87.1 per cent of physicians regard cardiovascular risk as a key consideration when making their treatment decisions. The poll also highlighted that 73.5 per cent of physicians believed the importance of cardiovascular risk in people with T2D is currently underestimated.

Risk factors such as obesity, smoking and high blood pressure were identified by 56.3 per cent of those surveyed as the most important challenge when treating people with T2D, with therapeutic decisions being based on consideration of these along with risk of side effects of medication (37.4 per cent) and individual patient characteristics such as renal function (26.9 per cent).

The results of the survey showed how complicated managing T2D can be for primary care physicians and people with T2D. It also highlighted the complexity of deciding which oral therapy to prescribe, with avoidance of initial dose titration stated as being a primary concern. In addition, 42.6 per cent of the physicians surveyed expressed that the number of doses required for a treatment per day was also a significant consideration for treatment choice.

“We consider it important that despite the complexity of type 2 diabetes, primary healthcare physicians are evaluating the full spectrum of the disease when making treatment choices with their patients,” commented professor Klaus Dugi, Corporate senior vice president - Medicine, Boehringer Ingelheim. “This is positive news, as it reassures patients that their healthcare professionals are providing management solutions that encompass all aspects of their treatment needs, ensuring the delivery of optimal care and supporting the patient to live a healthy, active life”.

People living with type 2 diabetes are up to six times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those without the condition. Physicians across Europe indicated in the survey the need for increased awareness of the true impact, with further support and education required for both people with type 2 diabetes and their families. The WHO has deemed the ultimate goal of diabetes therapy is to prevent such complications as coronary heart disease, nephropathy and retinopathy from occurring to improve quality of life and life expectancy.