Bristol-Myers SquibbFrederick J. Egenolf, 609-252-4875
today announced $1.6 million in grants to four health care institutions in India that will help improve diabetes education, prevention and care and increase health care worker capacity in rural and tribal areas and among the urban poor.
The prevalence of diabetes in India has grown roughly four-fold since the early 1970s – from about 2 percent of the population in 1972 to 8.3 percent today – due to factors ranging from genetic predisposition to lifestyle and dietary changes. The International Diabetes Foundation (IDF) reports that 61.26 million people in India are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, ranking India second only to China in total cases and third behind the United States (10.9 percent) and China (9.3 percent) in terms of prevalence. By 2030, India will have 101.2 million people with type 2 diabetes, IDF projects.
“Stemming the rising tide of type 2 diabetes in India will require a concerted and sustained effort at the community level to ensure adults have access to the education, preventive measures and care they need to effectively self-manage their disease,” said John Damonti, president, Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. “The grants we are making today through our initiative will test new ideas about how diabetes control efforts can be best designed and implemented to help adults in a variety of settings.”
The Foundation has employed a similar capacity-building approach with its 10-year-old initiative to address hepatitis B and C in Asia, and its ongoing work to address unmet medical needs, reduce health disparities and build community health care capacity was recognized in late July by CMO Asia with an in the Concern for Health category.
The following organizations will receive grants:
brings together some of the world’s most respected and influential health care organizations and academic institutions to develop effective, comprehensive solutions that integrate public health, health care services and supportive community supportive services to improve health outcomes and reduce disease burden.
Since its launch in November 2010, has awarded $32.57 million in grants to 17 organizations working in 23 states and the District of Columbia in the United States, $1.23 million to two organizations in China and $1.6 million to four organizations in India. The total commitment is $115 million through 2014.
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The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes around the world for patients disproportionately affected by serious diseases. For more information about the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, visit .