$1.15M
contribution from Lilly will fund the purchase and installation of
150 refrigeration units by Direct Relief in low- and middle-income
countries around the world
INDIANAPOLIS and SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Jan. 26,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:
LLY) and Direct Relief today announced a new initiative to expand
access to medicines in low- and middle-income countries by boosting
cold chain capacity in 17 countries. Supported by $1.15M in funding from Lilly, Direct Relief will
purchase and install an estimated 150 medical-grade refrigeration
units at 25 Life for a Child partner facilities in Africa, Latin
America, the Caribbean and
Southeast Asia.
Cold chain – the transportation and storage of
temperature-controlled medications – is a vital component of
medical logistics, especially as the global pharmaceutical industry
shifts towards the production of biologics and other
temperature-sensitive molecules. The World Health Organization's
Global Diabetes Compact calls on the private sector to do more
to support capacity building in supply chain management, including
cold storage.
"We appreciate Direct Relief's extensive expertise in logistics
and end-to-end supply chain management and know this effort will
make a substantial difference in providing patients around the
world with medicines they need to address serious health issues
like diabetes," said Leigh Ann
Pusey, executive vice president, corporate affairs and
communications for Lilly. "Efforts to expand access to medicines,
especially insulin, are only beneficial when effective cold chain
systems are in place to keep them at the right temperature on their
way to patients."
The manufacturing of insulin requires consistent refrigeration
at between two and eight degrees Celsius. Lilly's support of Direct
Relief's cold chain initiative is part of Lilly 30x30, an effort
which aims to improve access and address barriers to quality
healthcare for 30 million people living in limited-resource
settings annually, by 2030. The initiative builds on decades of
Lilly's global health work to improve equitable access to diabetes
care and medicines. In 2022, Lilly and its affiliates provided
insulin and reusable pens to Direct Relief related to support of
the Life for a Child program, impacting more than 30 countries
worldwide.
"We are grateful to Lilly for their support of this crucial
initiative. Their dedication to global health and access to
essential medical products is making a real difference in the lives
of those in need," said Direct Relief President and CEO
Thomas Tighe. "The lack of cold
chain distribution capacity in much of the world already prevents
many people from accessing the medications and therapies they need,
even when they are free. If this issue is not addressed, the divide
between those who have access to essential medical products and
those who don't will only widen."
In its 2022 fiscal year, Direct Relief delivered more than 47
million defined daily doses, the average dose per day, of
temperature-controlled medications valued at $656 million (wholesale acquisition cost), a 600%
increase from five years earlier in 2018. The organization operates
8,300 square feet of refrigerated warehouse space capable of
storing up to 677 pallets of temperature-sensitive medicine.
By ensuring that resource-constrained regions of the world have
medical refrigeration capacity at the last mile of delivery, more
people will have access to the medications they need to live
healthy lives.
About Lilly
Lilly unites caring with discovery
to create medicines that 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 47 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/newsroom or
follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. I-LLY
About Direct Relief
Direct Relief is a
humanitarian aid organization that works to improve the health and
lives of people affected by poverty, disaster, and civil unrest.
For more information, please visit directrelief.org
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) about Lilly's support of an initiative to expand access to
medicines in low- and middle-income countries by boosting cold
chain capacity and reflects Lilly's current beliefs and
expectations. However, there can be no assurance that the company's
support of this initiative will achieve Lilly's objectives or that
Lilly will execute its strategy as planned. For further discussion
of risks and uncertainties relevant to Lilly's business that could
cause actual results to differ from Lilly's expectations, see
Lilly's 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; 317-416-2393
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lilly-supports-direct-reliefs-efforts-to-expand-access-to-medicines-by-improving-cold-chain-capacity-301730639.html
SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company