Galvus (vildagliptin) is an effective new type 2 diabetes treatment that delivers significant blood glucose reductions when taken in combination with other type 2 diabetes medicines (metformin — Australia’s most commonly prescribed glucose-lowering tablet — a sulfonylurea or pioglitazone), when diet, exercise and the single medicine do not provide adequate blood glucose control.
According to Professor Greg Fulcher, Director, Diabetes Services, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Galvus represents an important new treatment option for lowering blood glucose levels, especially considering just one-in-three Australians living with type 2 diabetes is meeting their blood glucose (HbA1c) target on their current medication.
“We know that side-effects of some traditional type 2 diabetes medications can hinder people living with the disease from effectively controlling their blood glucose by making it harder to follow their medication regimen.
“Galvus not only lowers blood glucose, it does so without affecting body weight, and with a low risk of causing sudden blood glucose drops known as hypoglycaemia,” said Prof Fulcher.
“Global studies involving more than 22,000 people with type 2 diabetes have shown that for patients whose blood glucose remains too high, the addition of Galvus to their treatment regimen significantly increases the likelihood they will reach their HbA1c blood glucose target of less than 7 per cent.
“Together, the clinical effectiveness and good tolerability of Galvus reinforce its potential for helping patients with type 2 diabetes and their doctors to better manage this chronic disease,” Prof Fulcher said.
Today’s release of new research, “Understanding the challenges patients face in managing type 2 diabetes”, endorsed by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, reveals a low level of understanding among patients in managing type 2 diabetes.
The research explores difficulties experienced by Australians living with type 2 diabetes. The report reveals that although 67 per cent of respondents believe they know their blood glucose (HbA1c) target, only 17 per cent are able to identify it correctly. One-in-three respondents considers their diabetes to be uncontrolled, while the same proportion admits they do not know what their optimal blood glucose levels should be.
According to Mr Kos Sclavos, President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, the research reveals a surprising lack of knowledge among patients about the basics of managing type 2 diabetes.
“While type 2 diabetes is not easy to manage, we know that keeping blood glucose levels within the target range is essential to minimise the risk of developing long-term complications associated with the disease, such as heart attack, stroke, nerve damage, kidney disease, and blindness,” Mr Sclavos said.
“This research highlights the critical need to provide education and advice to patients living with type 2 diabetes — not just at diagnosis, but as an ongoing service. Pharmacists are ideally placed to assist GPs and Diabetes Educators to do just that,” said Mr Sclavos.
In addition to ongoing ‘finger-prick’ blood glucose monitoring by the patient, Australian Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Guidelines recommend that clinicians conduct HbA1c tests at least every six months to track a patient’s long term blood glucose control and adjust treatment if required.
The new research reveals that one quarter of respondents have not had an HbA1c reading in the past six months and 11 per cent have not had one in the past 12 months. Only 16 per cent of respondents were able to recall that their last HbA1c reading was within the target range, while more than half (54 per cent) could not recall the result of their last reading.
“Unless patients are armed with the right information, and understand what constitutes good blood glucose control, we will unfortunately continue to see high levels of diabetes-related complications,” said Mr Sclavos.
“This is a monumental problem considering that type 2 diabetes is the fastest growing disease in Australia, with an estimated 275 new diagnoses each day.”
