Bayer Announces National Sponsorship of the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association's Know Diabetes by Heart initiative

News provided by

Nov 20, 2019, 11:38 ET

WHIPPANY, N.J., Nov. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer announced today it has joined Know Diabetes by Heart™, a joint initiative of the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association, as a national sponsor. Officially launched last week ahead of the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2019, Bayer's support will help the initiative further reduce the risk of cardiovascular (CV) deaths and events such as heart attack, heart failure and strokes in people living with type 2 diabetes.

"Know Diabetes by Heart is an important opportunity to educate people living with type 2 diabetes about their elevated risk for cardiovascular events, especially in those with chronic kidney disease – a serious and progressive condition that affects 40 percent of people with type 2 diabetes," stated Aleksandra Vlajnic, senior vice president of Medical Affairs at Bayer. "As a national sponsor of this landmark public awareness initiative Bayer is proud to add our voice to efforts to reduce the rate of CVD-related deaths in people living with type 2 diabetes."

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), a serious condition characterized by a gradual loss of kidney function over time, affects more than 30 million adults in the U.S. – most of whom are unaware they have the disease.¹ Diabetes is the most common risk factor for CKD, which increases the risk of kidney failure and serious CV events, such as heart attack and stroke, compared to individuals with diabetes without kidney disease.^2,3 People with CKD and type 2 diabetes are three times more likely to die of CV-related causes than patients with type 2 diabetes alone.³ Consequently, timely screening for CKD is especially important in patients with type 2 diabetes, as early detection can help prevent the deterioration in kidney function and reduce the risk of CV complications.¹

The linkage between CKD and diabetes is an area in which Bayer is committed to supporting educational initiatives and developing therapeutic solutions to improve patient outcomes.

About Know Diabetes by Heart™
The American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association launched the collaborative landmark initiative called Know Diabetes by Heart™ to comprehensively combat the national public health impact of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The two leading nonprofit associations are supported in this effort by founding sponsors the Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company Diabetes Alliance, and Novo Nordisk, along with national sponsors Sanofi, AstraZeneca and Bayer. Through Know Diabetes by Heart, the associations and the initiative's sponsors are focused on positively empowering people living with type 2 diabetes to better manage their risk for cardiovascular disease by lowering their risk of events such as heart attacks, strokes and heart failure, and on supporting health care providers in educating and treating their patients with type 2 diabetes to reduce their cardiovascular risk. Visit KnowDiabetesbyHeart.org for more information and resources.

Bayer: Science for a Better Life
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2017, the Group employed around 99,800 people and had sales of EUR 35.0 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.4 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.5 billion. For more information, go to www.bayer.us.

Our online press service is just a click away:
www.bayer.us/en/newsroom Follow us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/pharma.bayer
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bayerus

Media Contact:
David Patti, phone +1-973-452-6793
Email: [email protected]
Find more information at www.bayer.us.com

Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

¹ National Kidney Foundation. About Chronic Kidney Disease; 2019. Available at: https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/about-chronic-kidney-disease. Last accessed November 2019.
² International Diabetes Federation. Diabetes and the Kidneys; 2019. Available at: https://www.idf.org/our-activities/care-prevention/diabetes-and-the-kidney.html. Last accessed November 2019.
³ Afkarian M, Sachs MC, Kestenbaum B, et al. Kidney disease and increased mortality risk in type 2 diabetes. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2013; 24:302-308.

SOURCE Bayer