December 16 program on type 2 diabetes takes new direction
December 9, 2008A new Rural Health Education Foundation television program airing on Tuesday 16th December explores new avenues for the treatment and management of type 2 diabetes.
New Directions in Treating Type 2 Diabetes: Enhancing Incretins - Enhancing Physiological Control reviews the physiology and pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes (T2D), and explores the place of a new treatment class in the management of T2D in rural practice.
The program centres on a discussion of Sitagliptin, the first oral T2D medication to be made available in Australia in more than seven years, which represents a new way of controlling blood glucose levels.
A timely program on Australia’s fastest growing chronic disease
“Ground-breaking research into type 2 diabetes recently delivered a completely new approach to controlling blood glucose levels,” says Rural Health Education Foundation CEO Don Perlgut. “And since T2D is Australia’s fastest growing chronic disease, we decided the issue warranted a new program fully dedicated to its exploration.”
“The New Directions in Treating Type 2 Diabetes program will enable rural health professionals to understand the physiological regulation of glucose homeostasis, including the role of incretin hormones, and, among other learning outcomes, understand the role of sitagliptin in managing patients with consistently high HBA,” says Mr Perlgut.
Program funding
New Directions in Treating Type 2 Diabetes: Enhancing Incretins - Enhancing Physiological Control is funded by Merck Sharp and Dohme (Australia) Ltd.
“We’re delighted that Merck Sharp and Dohme, a long term corporate supporter of the Foundation, has once again provided program funding, making the production and distribution of this important new program possible,” says Mr Perlgut.
Case studies and an expert panel
New Directions in Treating Type 2 Diabetes: Enhancing Incretins - Enhancing Physiological Control features a live panel discussion chaired by Dr Norman Swan, Presenter of the Health Report on ABC Radio National.
The panel comprises leading medical practitioners including Dr Greg Fulcher, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Sydney and Director of the Department of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital; and Ms Leigh Spokes, a Credentialled Diabetes Educator from Wagga Wagga in NSW.
Broadcast details
The hour-long program will be broadcast live across the Rural Health Education Foundation’s satellite television network on Tuesday 16th December 2008 at 8pm (AEDT), with repeats at 8.00pm Perth time that same evening (two hours later) and 12.30pm on Friday 19th December.
Available on DVD and the web
DVD copies of this program will be available for purchase after the broadcasts via our website.
The program will also be available free on the Internet for viewing via web-streamed video or listening via an audio podcast.
About type 2 diabetes
Australia has one of the highest recorded rates of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the developed world, with approximately 275 adults diagnosed with the disease in Australia every day. More than 3 million Australian adults are expected to have been diagnosed with T2D by 2033.
T2D is the most common form of diabetes, accounting for more than 85-90 per cent of all diabetes cases, and is a progressive disease that often requires additional medications as it grows in severity.
More information
For more information on New Directions in Treating Type 2 Diabetes: Enhancing Incretins - Enhancing Physiological Control - including presenter details, access instructions and associated educational resources - refer to the program summary or contact the Foundation.