INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Eli Lilly
and Company (NYSE:
LLY) announced today plans to open a research center focused on
diabetes in China, where the incidence of the disease has reached
epidemic proportions.
The center, to open in Shanghai in the second half of 2011, will
focus on discovering new medicines to treat diabetes, and reflects
both Lilly’s longstanding leadership in this disease area and the
priority Lilly places on improving the health of the Chinese
people.
“We are establishing this research center, first and foremost,
to meet the growing unmet medical needs of those living in China
with diabetes,” said Jan Lundberg, Ph.D., executive vice president,
science and technology, and president, Lilly Research Laboratories.
“This center will complement our existing network of
collaborations in China and also will enable us to further gain the
insights of China’s talented scientists inside and outside of Lilly
as we further explore a disease state in need of new and innovative
therapies.”
According to a recent article in The New England Journal of
Medicine, an estimated 92 million people in China –
almost 10 percent of the adult population – have diabetes(1),
a number that is expected to increase in the coming decade due in
large part to longer life expectancy, dietary changes and lack of
exercise. Left untreated or undertreated, diabetes can lead to
debilitating or potentially fatal complications, including heart
disease, stroke, nerve damage, lower limb amputation, vision loss
and kidney disease.
“Our strategy in China, and throughout the world, is to bring
innovation to patients,” said Jacques Tapiero, senior vice
president and president of Lilly’s emerging markets business area.
“By establishing a diabetes research center in China, Lilly
will be better able to discover medicines that
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