Singapore
Fonterra, a global dairy business and expert in nutritional dairy products, and GE Healthcare's Lunar business, the industry leader in bone assessment technologies, has announced a partnership to tackle the growing global health problem of osteoporosis head-on using Fonterra's ANLENE(TM) bone health products and GE Healthcare's bone mineral density technology.
Representatives from Fonterra and GE Healthcare signed the three-year agreement in Singapore on Friday. Financial terms of the partnership were not announced.
The partnership's first initiative is the Anlene(TM) Bone Health Check, a consumer awareness campaign to provide free ultrasound bone health screenings to an estimated three million people across nine Asian countries over the next two years. The next phase is likely to extend to Australia and New Zealand.
Fonterra Brands Managing Director Sanjay Khosla said the partnership is about bringing together the innovation and expertise of two leading companies to reach a new level of understanding about osteoporosis and bone health.
Jennie Hanson, President of GE Healthcare's Lunar business said, "Osteoporosis is a global healthcare concern. Our bone mineral density technologies play an important role in the fight against the disease. By understanding and addressing this manageable disease before symptoms appear, doctors and patients can be equipped with the information they need to act earlier, with better clarity and more precise tailored treatments."
"We are excited about this partnership. Fonterra is a progressive and innovative company that shares our vision of promoting "early health" on a large scale in a large region. Both GE Healthcare and Fonterra are known to bring innovative products to their respective customers. We will work together to leverage these strengths to provide an effective bone health solution," Ms Hanson said.
Mr Khosla said the programme will capture a comprehensive bank of data on bone health that will be shared with other lead agencies addressing osteoporosis and bone health problems, including the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF).
The IOF estimates that by 2050 the worldwide cost of osteoporosis will increase to USD 131.5 billion. The current direct cost of treating osteoporosis fractures in the workplace in the United States, Canada and Europe is approximately USD 48 billion. More than 50% of the world's hip fractures are likely to occur in Asia by 2050, resulting in increased health costs for governments, health authorities, families and individuals.
"This partnership will highlight the problem of poor bone health while people still have time to do something about it," Mr Khosla said.
"We know that one of the biggest concerns among consumers is not having mobility throughout
their lives."
Mr Khosla said the Anlene(TM) Bone Health Check has the potential to generate extensive public awareness about the importance of bone health by taking the bone health message into the streets, shopping malls, and work places.
"We are offering the service first in Asia where osteoporosis is a major health issue. The bone health screenings will raise awareness and also provide an opportunity to give people practical steps they can take towards improving their bone health," Mr Khosla said.
International Osteoporosis Foundation Chief Executive Dr Daniel Navid welcomed the initiative, which will assist in guiding its education and prevention programmes.
"One of the problems we face in making people aware of osteoporosis is that it is a 'silent' disease with no outward physical signs until the first fracture occurs. Bone scans make bone health 'real' for people at risk."
About Fonterra
Fonterra is a multi-national dairy company and one of the world's leading dairy ingredients and consumer businesses. Fonterra is the world's largest exporter of dairy products, with an annual turnover of around USD 7.8 billion. Its consumer dairy business operates in 40 countries and its products are among the best known dairy brands in the world. In Asia, its leading consumer brands CHESDALE(TM), ANLENE(TM), ANMUM(TM), ANCHOR(TM), FERNLEAF(TM), and MAINLAND(TM) are known for goodness, quality and reliability. For more information visit www.fonterra.com.
About ANLENE(TM)
ANLENE(TM) has a long and distinguished history in bone health and has relationships with leading bone heath specialists and researchers. Over the last 10 years, ANLENE(TM) has funded and been involved with 13 clinical trials relating to bone health, a significant investment in terms of time, money and human resources. Fonterra is committed to ongoing innovation with ANLENE(TM) has recently launched a revolutionary new product the PHYTO K(TM) Regenerative Formula. This provides complete bone nutrition that acts to Lock In nutrients.
About GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, performance improvement, drug discovery, and biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies is helping clinicians around the world re-imagine new ways to predict, diagnose, inform and treat disease, so their patients can live their lives to the fullest. GE Healthcare's broad range of products and services enable healthcare providers to better diagnose and treat cancer, heart disease, neurological diseases, and other conditions earlier. Our vision for the future is to enable a new "Early Health" model of care focused on earlier diagnosis, pre-symptomatic disease detection and disease prevention.
Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a USD 15 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 43,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com.
CONTACT: Fonterra Communications Gareth Johnstone +65 9632 1264 gareth.johnstone@fonterra.com or GE Healthcare Sebastien Duchamp +336 7319 5964 sebastien.duchamp@ge.com or Waggener Edstrom for GE Healthcare, Singapore Shaun Wootton +65 9188 1734 shaunw@WaggenerEdstrom.com
Source: Business Wire (Business Wire India)