Eli Lilly and Company has announced a $30 million commitment over five years to fight the rising burden of non-communicable diseases in developing nations including India.

The first phase of The Lilly NCD partnership will focus on improving diabetes care in targeted communities in Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa.  The partnership will focus on diabetes and, over time, cancer – two core business areas in which Lilly has deep expertise.

“Non-communicable diseases are ravaging nations, communities and families around the world, with the most vulnerable bearing most of the burden,” said John C. Lechleiter, Ph.D., Lilly chairman, president, and chief executive officer. “We believe we are uniquely positioned – and have a responsibility – to assist in the global fight against chronic disease. In partnership with leading health organizations, Lilly will contribute its deep expertise in diabetes and cancer, as well as the company’s broad research capabilities, to help find solutions for this pressing societal need.”

Lilly and its partners are in the final stages of developing country-specific programs to be launched n early 2012. Partners include: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Diagnostic & Preventive Medicine and Research Institute, FindRisc Program (for Brazil),   The Public Health Foundation of India, Project HOPE, Population Services International (in India),  The Carlos Slim Health Institute in Mexico and The Donald Woods Foundation, Project Hope in South Africa.

The new programme, based on the concept of “shared value,” is designed to identify comprehensive, sustainable approaches to patient care, which, depending on local needs, may include everything from patient education and provider training to increased access to treatment. The concept of “shared value,” developed by Michael Porter and Mark Kramer, and originally published in the Harvard Business Review, occurs when a business identifies a select societal need and applies its business model in collaboration with others to find new solutions.