Sanofi signs multi-pronged partnership with Dasman Diabetes Institute to intensify diabetes prevention in Kuwait

• The event witnessed the launch, for the first time in Kuwait, a new insulin-based combination that improves blood sugar control with less risk of blood sugar events (hypoglycemia)¹
• Sanofi and DDI will jointly promote ‘My Dose Coach', a medical app that will make it easier for patients in Kuwait to monitor their insulin dosage schedule 

Kuwait :  Sanofi, a global leader in healthcare and Dasman Diabetes Institute and Research Centre (DDI), a leading regional research institute and diabetes treatment center in Kuwait that was founded by Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences, have signed an agreement to intensify the prevention and management of diabetes in the country.

Through a multi-pronged partnership, Sanofi and DDI will provide educational and training programs for healthcare practitioners and raise awareness about the latest treatment and technologies that will help people with diabetes manage their condition better.

Under the MoU, signed by Dr. Qais Saleh Al Duwairi, Director-General of Dasman Diabetes Institute and Niven Al- Khoury, General Manager General Medicines KSA & Gulf MCO, Sanofi, both organizations will also work together in providing self-management skills for people with type 1 diabetes through the ‘Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating’ program (DAFNE). This 25-hour, interactive course trains participants on how to calculate their carbohydrate intake for each meal and adjust their insulin dose based on that.

In addition, Sanofi and DDI will promote the use of ‘My Dose Coach', a first-of-its-kind digital medical app in Kuwait that will make it easier for people with type 2 diabetes to monitor their insulin dose plan from a healthcare provider registered in the program.

The event also witnessed the launch, for the first time in Kuwait, a new insulin-based combination that has been clinically proven to reduce blood sugar levels in combination with diet and exercise in addition to metformin.^1,2 New data shows more people on this medication had improved blood sugar control without weight gain and without low blood sugar events (hypoglycemia) in a first head-to-head comparison with premixed insulin. ^1,3

This partnership comes at a time when the country continues to rank among the top 10 countries with the highest diabetes prevalence rate in the world, making it a serious public health concern, posing significant social and economic challenges. ⁴

The prevalence of diabetes in Kuwait’s adult population is 22 per cent, affecting around 700,000 people and 18.2 per cent of non-Kuwaitis. ^5,6 

Niven Al- Khoury, General Manager General Medicines KSA & Gulf MCO, Sanofi, said: “Increasing awareness about diabetes and providing easy access to proper medication and care can significantly reduce diabetes cases in this country. ⁷ With rigorous educational programs for healthcare professionals, leveraging digital technology, and continuous awareness initiatives, our collaboration with Dasman Diabetes Institute is an important step in fostering sustainable health habits and improving clinical outcomes for people with diabetes in Kuwait.”

-Ends-

About Sanofi:

Sanofi is dedicated to supporting people through their health challenges. We are a global biopharmaceutical company focused on human health. We prevent illness with vaccines, provide innovative treatments to fight pain and ease suffering. We stand by the few who suffer from rare diseases and the millions with long-term chronic conditions. With more than 100,000 people in 100 countries, Sanofi is transforming scientific innovation into healthcare solutions around the globe. 

For more information please contact:
Jorhie Alban
Head of Communications and CSR
Sanofi, Greater Gulf 
Tel: +971 4 550 3612
Email: jorhie.alban@sanofi.com 
Vince Ang
New Perspective Media Group
Tel:  +971 4 244 9597
Email: vince@newperspectivemedia.com 

References:
[1] Sanofi, https://www.sanofi.com/en/media-room/press-releases/2021/2021-06-28-16-00-00-2254031 
[2]Soliqua Summary of product characteristics (SmPc) – Kuwait
[3] Julio Rosenstock, Rifat Emral, Leobardo Sauque-Reyna, Viswanathan Mohan, Carlos Trescolí, Saud Al Sifri, Nebojsa Lalic, Agustina Alvarez, Pascaline Picard, Mireille Bonnemaire, Nacima Demil, Rory J McCrimmon, SoliMix Trial Investigators,“Advancing Therapy in Suboptimally Controlled Basal Insulin-Treated Type 2 Diabetes: Clinical Outcomes With iGlarLixi Versus Premix BIAsp 30 in the SoliMix Randomized Controlled Trial”,PMID: 34183429 DOI: 10.2337/dc21-0393, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34183429/. 
[4] International Diabetes Federation, https://www.idf.org/our-network/regions-members/middle-east-and-north-africa/members/38kuwait.html?layout=details&mid=109#:~:text=Kuwait%20is%20among%20the%20top,population%20being%20overweight%20or%20obese 
[5] Abdullah Alkandari, Monira Alarouj, Naser Elkum, Prem Sharma, Sriraman Devarajan, Mohamed Abu-Farha, Fahd Al-Mulla, Jaakko Tuomilehto, and Abdullah Bennakhi, ‘Adult Diabetes and Prediabetes Prevalence in Kuwait: Data from the Cross-Sectional Kuwait Diabetes Epidemiology Program,’ Journal of Clinical Medicine, received: 23 August 2020; Accepted: 22 October 2020; Published: 25 October 2020.
[6] International Diabetes Federation, https://idf.org/our-network/regions-members/middle-east-and-north-africa/members/38-kuwait.html 
[7]  Azza A Shaltout, Deborah Wake, Thangavel A Thanaraj, Dina M Omar, Dalia Al-AbdulRazzaq, Arshad Channanath, Hessa AlKandari,  Majedah Abdulrasoul, Sophie Miller, Nicholas Conway, Jaakko Tuomilehto, Lena Davidsson, Steering Group for the Study of Childhood Diabetes in Kuwait, ‘Incidence of type 1 diabetes has doubled in Kuwaiti children 0-14 years over the last 20 years’, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27981709/,  Epub 16 Dec 2016

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