IDF, In Partnership With Eli Lilly, Announces Second Phase Of BRIDGES Programme Funding For Translational Research In Diabetes With Focus On Secondary Prevention

BRUSSELS and INDIANAPOLIS, June 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 400 million people are living with diabetes. In a further effort to help spread lessons learned from clinical research to benefit people affected by this condition, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) have come together for the second phase of the Bringing Research in Diabetes to Global Environments and Systems programme (BRIDGES 2), reaffirming their commitment to helping people with diabetes effectively manage their condition.

BRIDGES 2 will build upon the work undertaken and the lessons learned during the initial phase of the programme which operated from 2007 to 2015. The programme will fund and replicate a selection of projects from the initial phase, placing an emphasis on the secondary prevention of diabetes and a strong involvement of local public health authorities.

"Our goal is to translate evidence-based approaches from the first round of BRIDGES to other contexts and countries to improve the lives of people living with diabetes," said Robert A. Gabbay, Chair of the Steering Group of BRIDGES 2.

This will enable the implementation of established evidenced-based interventions and approaches to diabetes care. BRIDGES 2 will further build on the achievements of the initial phase that resulted in 41 diabetes prevention and treatment projects supported in 36 countries.

"Diabetes is a growing epidemic, and we need to recognize and address the diverse needs of people with diabetes," said Robert Heine, Distinguished Lilly Scholar. "The BRIDGES programme has been a valuable tool that has led to important findings about the treatment of diabetes, and we look forward to continuing this important work."

BRIDGES 2 will issue a request for grant proposals in June 2017. All grant proposals will be peer reviewed and prioritised by a cross-disciplinary external review group under the coordination of IDF. A steering committee composed with experts appointed by IDF and Lilly will determine the selection of projects and types of grants that will be available.

"IDF is proud of the achievements of the first phase of BRIDGES, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to further replicate the findings of the completed projects. We want to spread best practices to those who need it most and help shape a better world for the millions of people currently living with diabetes and the many more at risk," said Shaukat Sadikot, IDF President.

For more information about BRIDGES 2, please visit www.idf.org/bridges or contact belma.malanda@idf.org.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

About the International Diabetes Federation
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF, www.idf.org) is an umbrella organisation of over 230 national diabetes associations in 165 countries and territories. It represents the interests of the growing number of people with diabetes and those at risk.

The Federation has been leading the global diabetes community since 1950. The Federation's activities aim to influence policy, increase public awareness and encourage health improvement, promote the exchange of high-quality information about diabetes, and provide education for people with diabetes and their healthcare providers. IDF is associated with the Department of Public Information of the United Nations and is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). www.idf.org.

About Lilly
Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com and www.lilly.com/newsroom/social-channels.

ADDENDUM:

BRIDGES 2 - KEY DATES

Pre-selection phase

• February-March 2017: BRIDGES 2 Steering Group members to discuss the selection of projects from the initial BRIDGES programme that will be replicated.
• A key requirement used in the selection of these projects is that they must focus on secondary prevention.
• The projects will be assessed on the following criteria: i) Evidenced based outcomes, ii) Efficacious process, iii) Scalability and iv) Sustainability.
• Geographical data from the World Bank will be used to exclude high income countries.
• Excluded from consideration will be proposals that involve the testing of pharmaceuticals, disease mechanism studies or any other projects that may be construed as product development or marketing or sales interventions.

• June 2017: Grant announcement at the 77th ADA Scientific Sessions, San Diego, California, US which will be determined by a steering committee appointed by IDF. This period will also mark the opening of the application process
• August 11, 2017: Final submission date for applications

Award Phase

• September 2017: An announcement of selected projects and grant recipients will be made at the 53rd EASD Annual Meeting to be held in Lisbon this year.
• October 2017: Contract signing between BRIDGES 2 Steering Group and selected applicants

Implementation and Evaluation Phases

• December 2017- February 2018: Start of project implementation
  Workshops will be held to aid in the implementation process. These workshops will include sessions on study designs, recruitment methods and analysis techniques.

• 2018-2019: A two year intervention leading up to a final reporting of outcomes at the IDF Congress 2019 in Busan, South Korea
• Projects will be reviewed in terms of scalability, possibility of global replication and significance of findings
• Successful projects that meet the specified evaluation criteria and are perceived to have significant regional and/or global impact will be considered for dissemination
• Key findings will be distributed in the form of oral presentations at major diabetes meetings (including the IDF Congress 2019) and through scientific publications

C-LLY

Refer to: Lorenzo Piemonte; media@idf.org; +32 2543 1624 (IDF)
Greg Kueterman; kueterman_gregory_andrew@lilly.com; (317) 432-5195 (Lilly)

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SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company