New Initiative Seeks to Improve Cardiovascular Health for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly recently announced their support for a program created by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) that focuses on improving cardiology. The program will also highlight new research related to the reduction of cardiovascular disease and mortality among patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a press release.

Although new medications and prevention techniques have emerged, cardiovascular disease remains a major cause of death among patients with diabetes. Patients with type 2 diabetes are 2 to 4 times more likely to develop heart disease than patients without the condition, according to the release.

Cardiologists treat many patients with diabetes, especially those who have experienced a cardiovascular event. The growing incidence of cardiovascular disease among diabetes patients underscores the importance of cardiologists.

The novel program aims to harness the knowledge of cardiologists who treat these patients and will identify why these physicians are a crucial component to fight cardiovascular disease associated with type 2 diabetes, according to the release.

The important findings from the program will be shared among the cardiology community to assist in the growing responsibility of driving down cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in this population, Boehringer reported.

“The ACC encourages efforts nationwide and globally to educate and communicate to cardiovascular healthcare providers and scientists about innovative advances in cardiovascular risk reduction in type 2 diabetes. This is the first stage in a longer-term process of optimizing cardiovascular risk reduction in these complex patient populations,” said Nathan D. Wong, PhD, FACC, professor and director of the Heart Disease Prevention Program, Division of Cardiology at University of California, Irvine School of Medicine.

The program combines data from the Diabetes Collaborative Registry with ACC’s expertise in understanding and improving quality in cardiology to prepare healthcare professionals for a shift in diabetes management and cardiovascular risk reduction, according to the release.

“Along with Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim is proud to support the ACC in its efforts to drive quality improvement in cardiology,” said Thomas Seck, MD, vice president of Clinical Development and Medical Affairs — Primary Care at Boehringer. “Given recent advances in research on cardiovascular risk reduction for people with type 2 diabetes, we need a better understanding of how and when innovative healthcare professionals are adopting new tools in our efforts to help educate the wider cardiology community.”