Lilly Diabetes has joined with the American Diabetes Association (Association) as a national sponsor of the 2013 Tour de Cure, the Association's annual nationwide cycling event that attracts more than 60,000 riders across 44 states. The main aim of the Tour is to ask riders and donors to start a chain reaction by supporting its year-long series of cycling events across the country.

"Lilly Diabetes supports the Tour de Cure because at its heart, this event is a celebration of health, hope and community," said Enrique Conterno, president, Lilly Diabetes. "It also helps connect our employees with one another, and importantly, to connect them with the diabetes community we are dedicated to serving."

The Tour de Cure is one of the Association's signature fundraising events in which the organization's Stop Diabetes movement comes to life, encouraging participants to: Share, Act, Learn and Give.Riders with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, as well as those who support them, can participate in courses of varying distances regardless of skill level.

In 2013, Lilly Diabetes employees will participate as local and national team riders and will host local events and company-wide fundraising activities. The Lilly Foundation will match individual employee donations of $25 or more. In 2011, more than $18 million was raised to support the mission of the American Diabetes Association: to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

"Lilly Diabetes has truly been passionate in supporting the American Diabetes Association's mission and becoming part of our movement to Stop Diabetes," said Larry Hausner, CEO, American Diabetes Association. "We are excited to be working together again to help raise critical funds for diabetes through our Tour de Cure events nationwide."

Diabetes affects nearly millions of children and adults globally which can lead to blindness, heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and amputations. Some common symptoms/signs of diabetes are extreme thirst, frequent urination, blurry vision, and tingling in the feet.

Lilly Diabetes has been an active supporter of the Association's efforts to Stop Diabetes through support of key organizational initiatives including Living with Type 2 Diabetes, Everyday Wisdom kits, Safe at School and diabetes camps. For more than 10 years Lilly Diabetes has been one of the largest supporters of diabetes summer camps in the US.

Lilly has been a global leader in diabetes care and works to meet the diverse needs of people with diabetes through research and collaboration, a broad and growing product portfolio and a continued commitment to providing real solutions from medicines to support programmes and to make lives better.

Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations.