New $6.5
million commitment will help strengthen systems to improve
health outcomes across resource-limited areas in India
GENEVA, May 29, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- During the World Health Assembly today, Eli Lilly
and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced it will donate $6.5 million to the United States Fund for UNICEF
to expand UNICEF's work to improve the health outcomes of millions
of children and youth at risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)
living in resource-limited settings in India. This will bring the company's total
commitment since 2022 to more than $20
million.
With this additional funding, UNICEF will seek to improve
efforts to address NCD risk factors, strengthen health systems,
enhance the ability of health workers to care for people and
support millions of children and their families challenged by
diseases like type 1 diabetes, respiratory illnesses, rheumatic and
congenital heart disease, and sickle cell disease in
resource-limited areas in India.
"UNICEF will work with governments and partners to strengthen
health systems to effectively manage NCDs in children and young
people. This will help integrate efforts into maternal, newborn,
and child health programs, emphasizing prevention and management of
childhood NCDs," says Luigi D'Aquino, chief of health, UNICEF
India.
Noncommunicable diseases place a significant burden on economies
while being closely linked to poverty, poor social and economic
development, and other inequities. This burden is
disproportionately felt by low-income countries, communities, and
the most vulnerable people, including children and adolescents.
Childhood NCDs can have substantial, lifelong implications for
children and their families, including disabilities, chronic pain
and reduced quality of life.
According to the World Health Organization's NCD database, in
2019, NCDs accounted for 66% of all deaths in India, 22% of which were premature. Average
life expectancy is 70.79 years in India, slightly less than the world average of
73.40 years. Seventy percent of the preventable adult deaths from
NCDs are linked to risk factors that start in adolescence,
providing a key opportunity for prevention.
"UNICEF and Lilly share a similar goal – to
make life better for millions of people around the world," said
Lilly's Head of Social Impact, Cynthia
Cardona. "These efforts are critical to working towards
changing the global landscape of NCDs and improving health outcomes
for children and adolescents living in resource-limited areas in
India."
In 2022, UNICEF launched an initiative in Bangladesh, Malawi, Nepal, the
Philippines and Zimbabwe
with support from Lilly's $14.4
million contribution to the United States Fund for UNICEF,
enabling it to focus on NCD prevention, detection, treatment and
support in these countries. Since then, UNICEF has screened
hundreds of children for NCDs, trained more than 2,000 health
workers, and reached more than 350,000 families with awareness
messages on NCD prevention.
UNICEF aims to improve health outcomes for millions of children
and adolescents living in resource-limited areas in India by 2030, working towards ensuring
healthy lives and promoting well-being for all, which is in line
with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Lilly's support aligns with its Lilly 30x30 initiative to
improve access to quality health care for 30 million people in
resource-limited settings annually by 2030.
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world's
toughest places, to reach the world's most disadvantaged children.
Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every
child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.
Follow UNICEF on Twitter and Facebook.
UNICEF does not endorse any company brand, product or
service.
About Lilly
Lilly is a medicine company turning
science into healing to make life better for people around the
world. We've been pioneering life-changing discoveries for nearly
150 years, and today our medicines help more than 51 million people
across the globe. Harnessing the power of biotechnology, chemistry
and genetic medicine, our scientists are urgently advancing new
discoveries to solve some of the world's most significant health
challenges: redefining diabetes care; treating obesity and
curtailing its most devastating long-term effects; advancing the
fight against Alzheimer's disease; providing solutions to some of
the most debilitating immune system disorders; and transforming the
most difficult-to-treat cancers into manageable diseases. With each
step toward a healthier world, we're motivated by one thing: making
life better for millions more people. That includes delivering
innovative clinical trials that reflect the diversity of our world
and working to ensure our medicines are accessible and affordable.
To learn more, visit Lilly.com and Lilly.com/news, or follow us on
Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. I-LLY
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
This press release contains forward-looking
statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995). For further discussion of risks and
uncertainties of the company, see Lilly's most recent respective
Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the United States Securities
and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Lilly
undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements to reflect
events after the date of this release.
|
Refer
to:
|
Carrie Munk,
munk_carrie@lilly.com
|
|
Lukas Clark-Memler,
lclarkmemler@unicef.org
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