Marking the occasion of World Diabetes Day, a global healthcare leader, brought ‘The Best of ADA (American Diabetes Association) 2015' Congress to Dubai on 13 and 14 November. With participation of over 200 healthcare professionals, the two-day congress was dedicated to showcasing key findings from the scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association held in USA in June 2015. A media summit themed ‘Together for Diabetes' was held in parallel with the medical congress, where journalists from KSA, UAE, Lebanon, Egypt, Kuwait and Jordan had the opportunity to hear from some of the leading international experts in the field as well as from patient ambassadors from My Diabetes Story, a Middle East diabetes awareness platform. The discussions revolved around diabetes challenges and disparities in the region, diabetes guidelines, new treatment modalities, and outcomes of new diabetes trials related to cardiovascular health. Prof. Abdul-Rahman AL sheikh, Consultant in Endocrinology, President of the Saudi Scientific Diabetes Society, said "despite all the awareness efforts in the Middle East and globally, diabetes management is still a considerable challenge for the health authorities and the healthcare community. A major part of diabetes is related cardiovascular complications. Data reflects that many patients suffer from various comorbidities like blindness, uncontrolled cholesterol, amputations, renal failure, and two thirds of diabetic patients die from heart disease or stroke. Under-diagnosis of diabetes is also a major issue. With healthcare costs reaching hundreds of billions of dollars globally, a radical change in the state of the disease is required to manage the condition given the limited resources, and in a timely manner." Dr. Salah Mousa, General Manager at Sanofi Saudi Arabia, said "with the rising incidence of diabetes in Saudi Arabia, we at Sanofi strongly recognize the necessity to support the development of advanced therapies, enhance the knowledge and expertise of healthcare providers, and address patient's needs and understanding diabetes to insure better management of this disease. We are delighted to host the second edition of the ‘Best of ADA'. The collaborative initiative is bringing together key opinion leaders in the Middle East to facilitate a scientific knowledge exchange and ensure that there is a common platform to share the best developments in the field of diabetes" There was representation from My Diabetes Story (MDS) patient ambassadors who shared real life experiences of living well with diabetes. Launched in November 2014, under the endorsement of Saudi Scientific Diabetes society and supported by Sanofi, My Diabetes Story is a platform led by patients, for patients, aimed at providing meaningful support and advice through patient-to-patient communication. Rami Awad a diabetes patient ambassador in the KSA, said: "Diabetes is a widely misunderstood condition and many patients who are diagnosed have lots of questions on how to live with the disease. Patient and family support remains the backbone for those who have developed the condition, With My Diabetes Story online platform, diabetics finally get the chance to address many of the questions they have to with other patients in an environment conducive to support and community-building" The ‘Best of ADA' congress is focused on providing new, relevant data and insights to enable physicians and healthcare professionals across the Middle East. It aims to equip them with information on improved diagnosis, treatment and management of patients with diabetes and comorbid conditions. Attendees had an exclusive preview of the proceedings of the ‘Best of ADA 2015' during the media summit.
