Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation to expand ‘Together on Diabetes’ initiative in India and China

The initiative targets populations disproportionately affected by type II diabetes, by strengthening patient self-management education, community-based supportive services and broad-based community mobilisation

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation (BMSF) has announced the expansion of its ‘Together on Diabetes’ initiative to India and China, pledging $15 million over five years to help these developing nations with rapidly growing numbers of type II diabetes patients.

The International Diabetes Foundation (IDF) reports that more than 90 million people in China–9.3 per cent of the population–had type II diabetes in 2011, the most of any country. That figure is projected to grow to 129.7 million, or 12.1 per cent of the population, by 2030.

India, which has 61.26 million people diagnosed with type II diabetes (8.3 per cent of the population), ranks second only to China in total cases and third behind the US (10.9 per cent) and China in terms of prevalence. By 2030, India will have 101.2 million people with type II diabetes, IDF projects.

“In keeping with a long legacy of addressing global health issues through innovative and sustainable philanthropic programmes, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and the BMSF are pleased to expand our philanthropic work in type II diabetes to India and China, where the disease has become a significant public health concern,” said Lamberto Andreotti, Chief Executive Officer, BMS.

John Damonti, President, BMSF and Vice President, Corporate Philanthropy, BMS said, “As their populations grow older and more sedentary, health authorities in India and China are seeing many of the same problems experienced by their Western counterparts, namely obesity and type II diabetes. What’s worse, we are seeing only the tip of the iceberg. For every patient in India or China who has been diagnosed with type II diabetes, there are several others who are undiagnosed or considered pre-diabetic.”

‘Together on Diabetes’ is a model developed in the US, that aims to improve health outcomes of people living with type II diabetes by strengthening patient self-management education, community-based supportive services and broad-based community mobilisation. In line with the BMSF’s mission to reduce health disparities, ‘Together on Diabetes’ targets populations disproportionately affected by type II diabetes. After a successful launch in the US, BMS and the BMSF extended ‘Together on Diabetes’ to India and China to help address the growing public health issue and focus on the increased incidence of cardiovascular/ metabolic disease in India  and China through community based care and support.

EP News Bureau – Mumbai