Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins joins the team to motivate those
at risk for kidney disease to prioritize complete
testing
LOS
ANGELES, Dec. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- CORE Kidney,
a patient support and advocacy group that helps patients with
kidney disease navigate their complex journey, today announced its
collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and
Company (NYSE: LLY) at the 2025 Tournament of Roses®
Parade. The partners have joined forces to share a powerful
reminder for those at risk for kidney disease: It takes two tests –
blood and urine – to ensure complete testing. Those at risk include
people living with type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, two of
the main risk factors that are responsible for up to two-thirds of
chronic kidney disease (CKD) cases.
"With my parents having conditions that put them at risk for
CKD, I feel proud and blessed to help bring awareness to a cause
that hits home for me," said Brian
Dawkins, Pro Football Hall of Famer, who is helping to
tackle this issue by encouraging those at risk to team up with
their doctor to request complete testing for CKD. "We are
providing knowledge, which becomes very powerful when applied to
your health!"
Knowledge is Power
More than 35 million adults in the
U.S. have kidney disease – a progressive and potentially
life-threatening condition that occurs when the kidneys are
damaged, which affects their ability to filter the blood and
increases the risk for cardiovascular events. Despite its high
prevalence, approximately 90% of people are unaware of their
condition, which often has no symptoms until later, more advanced
stages.
"Two of the key drivers of the low diagnostic rates are the lack
of awareness and inadequate testing," explained Dr. Anjay Rastogi M.D., PhD, Director of the CORE
Kidney Program and Professor and Clinical Chief of Nephrology at
the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA Health. "In fact, less
than 20% of individuals at-risk for kidney disease receive both
blood and urine tests. This collaboration with Boehringer
Ingelheim, Lilly and Brian Dawkins
is a tremendous opportunity to underscore the importance of not
only the doctor-patient relationship but also guideline directed
testing when it comes to kidney health."
Teamwork in Action
The dynamic 2025 Rose Parade float,
titled "It's In Your Hands: It Takes 2," reflects a shared
mission to champion kidney health and all those impacted by kidney
disease. The float was designed to mirror the patient journey –
from teaming up with your doctor to being embraced by the kidney
health community.
"Acknowledging the control that individuals have over their own
health is essential," said Andy
Vicari, vice president and head of the U.S. BI/Lilly
alliance at Lilly. "Through our partnership with CORE Kidney, we
aim to inspire those at-risk for chronic kidney disease to take
action. When people advocate for their health and collaborate with
their healthcare providers, they can pave the way for a healthier
future."
Remixing Kidney Health
Throughout the parade, the
float – which also features a large-scale boombox on each side –
will play "It Takes 2 – The Remix," an educational spin
on Rob Base's 1988 classic "It Takes
Two." Base rewrote the song specifically to elevate the importance
of complete screening for kidney disease.
"Music is universal, making it a powerful vehicle for our
message of working with your doctor to request complete testing for
kidney disease," said Brian
DiDonato, senior vice president, Cardiovascular, Renal and
Metabolic Franchise at Boehringer Ingelheim. "We're thrilled to
raise the volume of this message with our remix and partnership
with Brian Dawkins, and hope that by
seeing our float, those at risk feel empowered to prioritize
their kidney and heart health. Because not only does complete
testing – blood and urine tests – help your kidneys, but it can
also uncover hidden cardiovascular risks."
This educational float can be seen in the 2025 Rose
Parade® on January 1,
2025, and at the Tournament of Roses® Floatfest
from January 1-3, 2025. To learn
more, visit www.TestYourKidneys.com.
About the Pasadena Tournament of Roses® and Rose
Parade® presented by Honda
The Pasadena
Tournament of Roses® is a volunteer organization that
hosts America's New Year Celebration® with the Rose
Parade® presented by Honda, the Rose Bowl
Game® presented by Prudential and a variety of
accompanying events. The Association's 935 Members supply more than
80,000 volunteer hours, which will drive the success of the 136th
Rose Parade, themed "Best Day Ever!," on Wednesday, January 1, 2025, followed by the
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the 111th Rose Bowl Game
presented by Prudential. Visit www.tournamentofroses.com, like us
on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and YouTube.
About CORE Kidney
CORE Kidney is an unwavering patient
support and advocacy group and a lifeline for kidney health
awareness. For patients battling kidney disease, from early
symptoms to late-stage conditions, CORE Kidney is dedicated to
providing guidance to healing with comprehensive, integrated, and
person-centered care for those suffering from this deadly disease.
On a global scale, the organization aims to open the world's eyes
to the prevalence and gravity of kidney ailments — while bringing
recognition to the global community of brave patients facing this
battle. Founded by a group of kidney patients, living kidney donors
and their caregivers, who are devoted to serving those who walk the
same path, CORE Kidney is on a mission to eradicate kidney disease
by ensuring all patients get the care they need from the moment
they suspect an issue through every step of the journey. CORE
stands for the organization's core principles that serve as the
guiding light in its mission: clinical excellence, outreach,
research, and education. Through the organization's continued
dedication to these core principles, CORE Kidney is devoted to
raising the bar with various events, programs and services that
directly benefit patients, living donors, families and treating
professionals. CORE Kidney has cultivated a devoted community of
passionate voices who empower patients to advocate for their own
health and build a future where all those suffering can heal as
one. This year's main event for CORE Kidney is the "It's In Your
Hands: It Takes 2" float in the 2025 Rose Parade. In line
with CORE Kidney's philosophy, this float represents the global
focus of CORE in honoring living kidney donors and a call to action
for kidney health screening.
To learn more, please
visit www.corekidneyfoundation.org and/or follow CORE
Kidney Foundation and CORE Kidney on
socials: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
About It Takes 2
It Takes 2 is a
health initiative that aims to elevate the importance of testing
and early diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) to help reduce
the risk of serious complications down the road. The initiative
provides tailored resources and educational content to empower
adults at risk for kidney disease to work with their healthcare
professional and request one simple urine test. It Takes 2
encourages healthcare professionals to proactively use two tests –
eGFR blood test and UACR urine test – to get the full picture about
CKD. Learn more about It Takes 2 and access helpful
resources from the initiative's website at TestYourKidneys.com, as
well as a version of the site for healthcare professionals at
CKDtesting.com.
About Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic kidney disease
(CKD) is a progressive and potentially life-threatening condition
that occurs when the kidneys are damaged by any cause that affects
their ability to filter the blood. Kidney disease staging is based
on kidney health and is used to guide treatment decisions. Most
adults in the U.S. living with chronic kidney disease are unaware
of their condition – and many do not know that they are at risk
until symptoms emerge when their disease becomes advanced and
irreversible kidney damage has occurred.
CKD is part of a collective group of diseases known as
cardio-renal-metabolic (C-R-M) conditions that are closely
intertwined and share many of the same disease-related pathways and
risk factors. Dysfunction in one area of the C-R-M system may
accelerate the onset of dysfunction in others. As such, people with
CKD are potentially living with other C-R-M conditions, such as
heart failure and type 2 diabetes. The two main causes of chronic
kidney disease are diabetes and high blood pressure, which are
responsible for up to two-thirds of CKD cases.
About Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and
Company
The Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly Alliance leverages the strengths of two of
the world's leading pharmaceutical companies. By joining forces,
the companies demonstrate their commitment, not only to the care of
people with type 2 diabetes, but also to address areas of unmet
medical need like heart failure and chronic kidney disease.
About Boehringer Ingelheim
Boehringer Ingelheim is a
biopharmaceutical company active in both human and animal health.
As one of the industry's top investors in Research and Development,
the company focuses on developing innovative therapies in areas of
high unmet medical need. Independent since its foundation in 1885,
Boehringer takes a long-term perspective, embedding sustainability
along the entire value chain. More than 53,500 employees serve over
130 markets to build a healthier, more sustainable, and equitable
tomorrow. Discover more at www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/us.
About Lilly
Lilly is a medicine company turning
science into healing to make life better for people around the
world. We've been pioneering life-changing discoveries for nearly
150 years, and today our medicines help tens of millions of 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/news.
P-LLY
MPR-US-103363
Media Contacts:
- Christina Lopez,
info@corekidney.org, (818) 426-7672
- Jillian Parker,
jparker@dna-comms.com, (732) 501-2624
- Niki Biro, niki_biro@lilly.com,
(317) 358-9074
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SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company