Release issued 2nd September 2009

Research being driven by The University of Western Ontario to enhance diabetes management across Canada has received $500,000 from two of Canada's leading pharmaceutical companies.

As part of a joint venture initiative, AstraZeneca Canada and Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada announced the donation that will support the National Diabetes Management Strategy (the Strategy), a research partnership between Western and the Canadian Diabetes Association.

"Diabetes ranks third in most frequently diagnosed diseases by family physicians in Canada," says Stewart Harris, lead investigator for the Strategy who holds the Canadian Diabetes Association Chair in Diabetes Management at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.

In the decade spanning 1995 to 2005, incidence of diabetes in adults skyrocketed 113 per cent while the population rose modestly by 17 per cent in comparison.

"This funding will allow researchers to develop and evaluate evidence-based models of care to close gaps in diabetes management," says Ellen Malcolmson, President and CEO of the Canadian Diabetes Association. "In particular, the funding will help target challenges affecting family physicians and healthcare providers at the primary level who are delivering care to the majority of diabetes patients in the system."

The Strategy will focus on the Canadian Diabetes Association 2008 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Diabetes in Canada and identify success factors and barriers to family practice implementation. Researchers will also address professional education for family practitioners and healthcare professionals.

"The objectives of the National Diabetes Strategy are aligned with AstraZeneca's commitment to improve the lives of Canadians," says Catriona McMahon, Vice President Medical Affairs, AstraZeneca Canada. "We are proud to support a project that directs resources to family doctors and healthcare providers who are burdened with mounting patient volumes and increasingly complex diabetes cases."

Diabetes and its complications can seriously impact quality of life and bring devastating consequences to patients, including kidney problems, nerve damage, heart disease and blindness. When managed effectively, however, patients with diabetes can minimize risks and lead healthy lives.

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