Boehringer Ingelheim brought together 3,000 health care professionals in Saudi Arabia this week to a virtual deep dive into the latest evidence-based updates in the therapeutic areas of diabetes, cardio-metabolism, respiratory diseases, and stroke management.
The online summit, organized by Boehringer Ingelheim — a pharmaceutical company — utilized virtual technology to create a live environment for health care professionals to share their experiences. Cardiologists, endocrinologists, neurologists, and other experts registered at the virtual reception and walked through the hall before choosing their preferred conference room in a unique digital experience.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which accounts for almost 36 percent of all annual deaths in Saudi Arabia, was one of the primary topics discussed at the conference, with a special focus on the link between cardiovascular complications and the new classes of oral antidiabetic drugs.
The implementation of telemedicine in stroke care was discussed while with respect to respiratory diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was underscored, currently prevalent among 2.4 percent of the general population and 14.2 percent among smokers over 40 years of age, with cases expected to increase.
“Digitization is fundamentally changing the pharmaceutical industry and we at Boehringer Ingelheim are embracing its role as an intrinsic part of our business development,” said Waleed Mashak, general manager and head of Human Pharma at Boehringer Ingelheim Saudi Arabia. “We are delighted to be organizing digital events of quality in the Kingdom, to deliver on our promise of providing health care professionals throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with continuous and uninterrupted updates on the latest medical and scientific evidence in different medical fields, which will undoubtedly be of great benefit for the patients of Saudi Arabia.”
“Summits such as these are vital as they allow the exchange of knowledge and provide the opportunity for health care professionals to share best practices with one another and keep up-to-date on the latest information and findings,” said Dr. Hussein Elbadawi, consultant endocrinologist at My Clinic International Center Jeddah.
The summit was held in collaboration with the Saudi Heart Association, Saudi Scientific Diabetes Society, Saudi Stroke Society, and Saudi Society of Internal Medicine.
Dr. Saeed Alghamdi, consultant stroke and cerebrovascular diseases neurologist and president of the Saudi Stroke Society, said: “Through this multi-therapeutic event, health care professionals from across the Kingdom were able to gain valuable and reliable information, which will ultimately benefit Saudi Arabia’s health care offering. It was especially insightful with regards to the field of stroke and neurology given that the occurrence of strokes is considered a major challenge to the health care system in Saudi Arabia, with the incidence rate of first-time stroke standing at 57.64 per 100,000.”
The summit is one of a series of virtual events launched by Boehringer Ingelheim in the region as part of its commitment to providing a continuous source of reliable education for health care professionals specializing in various disease areas and focuses.
