ARLINGTON, Va., May 2, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Diabetes Association's® (ADA's) Chief Scientific, Medical and Mission Officer William T. Cefalu, MD, will testify before the U.S. Senate's Special Committee on Aging (Committee) at 10:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, May 8, 2018. Dr. Cefalu will address the Committee about the rising costs of insulin, which impact millions of Americans with diabetes who rely on this life-sustaining medication. He will also share the findings of the ADA's "Insulin Access and Affordability Working Group: Conclusions and Recommendations" white paper, which will be simultaneously published in the journal Diabetes Care.
Who: William T. Cefalu, MD, Chief Scientific, Medical and Mission Officer, American Diabetes Association
Senate Special Committee on Aging:
Senator Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging
Senator Bob Casey, D-PA, Ranking Member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging
What: Dr. Cefalu will highlight the key findings of the ADA's Insulin Access and Affordability Working Group (Working Group), as detailed in the "Insulin Access and Affordability Working Group: Conclusions and Recommendations" white paper. The Working Group held meetings throughout 2017 and early 2018 with stakeholders at all levels of the supply chain to understand the underlying causes that have led to the surge in insulin prices.
The ADA's Make Insulin Affordable strategic initiative was launched in November 2016 and includes a petition that, to-date, has been signed by more than 308,000 individuals. The petition calls for all entities in the supply chain to provide transparency, affordability and access to ensure that all people who use insulin have affordable access to insulin. Since the campaign launch, the ADA has held more than 400 Congressional meetings with diabetes advocates; and collected more than 800 patient, caregiver and provider stories regarding access to affordable insulin.
Note: The "Insulin Access and Affordability Working Group: Conclusions and Recommendations" white paper will be published simultaneously, online in Diabetes Care at 10:00 a.m. ET, Tuesday, May 8, 2018, and is embargoed until that time.
Where: Dirksen Senate Office Building – SD562
When: Tuesday, May 8, 2018, 10:00 a.m. ET
Additional panelists invited by the Committee:
Paul Grant
Lois Ondik
Greene, MA, MD, PhD, Elizabeth Treide and A. McGehee Harvey Chair in the History of Medicine, and Professor of History of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
About the American Diabetes Association
Nearly half of American adults have diabetes or prediabetes; more than 30 million adults and children have diabetes; and every 21 seconds, another individual is diagnosed with diabetes in the U.S. Founded in 1940, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation's leading voluntary health organization whose mission is to prevent and cure diabetes, and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. The ADA drives discovery by funding research to treat, manage and prevent all types of diabetes, as well as to search for cures; raises voice to the urgency of the diabetes epidemic; and works to safeguard policies and programs that protect people with diabetes. In addition, the ADA supports people living with diabetes, those at risk of developing diabetes, and the health care professionals who serve them through information and programs that can improve health outcomes and quality of life. For more information, please call the ADA at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit diabetes.org. Information from both of these sources is available in English and Spanish. Find us on Facebook (American Diabetes Association), Twitter (@AmDiabetesAssn) and Instagram (@AmDiabetesAssn).
Contact: Michelle Kirkwood, 703-299-2053
mkirkwood@diabetes.org
Danielle Veira, 703-253-4843
dveira@diabetes.org
SOURCE American Diabetes Association