Novo Nordisk, a global pharmaceutical company specializing in diabetes, announced the results of the PACT MEA study which showed that almost 1 in 5 patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). PACT MEA stands for Prevalence and Clinical Management of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in the Middle East and Africa.
The PACT-MEA study provides one of the first and most comprehensive assessments of CV risk in people with T2D from the Middle East and Africa regions. ASCVD is caused by the build-up of fats, cholesterol, and other substances in and on the artery walls, which narrows the vessels and results in reduced blood flow, potentially leading to events like heart attack and stroke. ASCVD – defined as coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease, or peripheral arterial disease presumed to be of atherosclerotic origin—is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for individuals with diabetes, yet high quality contemporary data on the prevalence of cardiovascular risk in people with T2D are lacking in the Middle East and Africa regions1 As mentioned by Dr. Hesham El Hefnawy Professor of diabetes and endocrinology, Ex-Dean of the National Institute of Diabetes, and Head of the national non-communicable diseases committee “The growing trend of diabetes in the Middle East and North Africa region is alarming and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) predicts that the number of cases will increase to 136 million by 2045 People with diabetes have a 2-to-4-fold higher risk of CVD than those without diabetes.“
Dr. Hesham also added: “The purpose of this non-interventional study was to investigate the epidemiology and clinical management of established ASCVD/ high ASCVD risk in patients with T2D across selected countries in the Middle East and Africa in a real-world setting” Professor Hanan Setouhy, Professor of endocrinology and diabetes, Mansoura University added: “PACT-MEA is a noninterventional, cross-sectional, observational study conducted at 55 centers in 7 countries (Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates)”.
“The overall study sample included 3726 individuals with 550 patients from Egypt, The mean age was 58 years, with fair representation of male (53%) and female (47%) population” Professor Samir Helmy Assaad Khalil, Professor of Diabetes, Lipidology and Metabolism, Alexandria Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University mentioned that: “The weighted prevalence of ASCVD in this study was 20.9%; meaning that 1 in 5 patients with type 2 diabetes has ASCVD.
The study also showed that 99.3% of patients with T2D have high/very high ASCVD risk (as defined by the European Society of Cardiology Guidelines 2021) across the 7 Middle East and Africa countries.” Professor Samir further added “And despite the high percentage of patients at high/very high risk of ASCVD, a small percentage of patients used anti-diabetic medications with cardiovascular benefits, and none of the participant patients achieved all guideline-recommended treatment targets.” Dr. Ayman Hassan, VP and GM of Novo Nordisk Egypt stated that Novo Nordisk is committed to innovation in research and development, with a focus on developing new medications and treatments for a wide range of health conditions including Diabetes, Obesity, NASH and others. The company has invested heavily in R&D, developing a pipeline of innovative medicines, with the goal of improving patient’s outcomes and transforming the healthcare industry.
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