LAVAL, QC, Oct. 17, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Sanofi Canada is on a mission to raise awareness and money to help people living with diabetes, one of the leading causes of death and disability in Canada.¹ In honor of Diabetes Awareness Month, which begins on November 1, Sanofi Canada is calling upon Canadians to support Diabetes Canada and Diabète Québec with just one click of a button. For each new LIKE on the Raise Your Hand for Diabetes campaign's Facebook page from November 1 until World Diabetes Day (November 14), Sanofi Canada will donate $5 to the associations, up to a maximum of $50,000.

Last week, Sanofi Canada got a head start on Diabetes Awareness Month efforts. At the Diabetes Canada/Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism Professional Conference, Sanofi Canada hosted a Raise Your Hand for Diabetes airstream in support of Diabetes Canada. Attendees shared their personal experiences with diabetes and their hopes for those living with the disease. For each testimony, Sanofi Canada made a donation, raising $25,000 for the association.

"The Raise Your Hand for Diabetes campaign aligns with Diabetes Canada's mission to help people who are living with diabetes and to help work towards a cure. The campaign provides role models with everyday people choosing to use their voices to strike out the stigma against those living with diabetes. By doing so, they encourage people to admit that they are affected by diabetes, consequently making it easier to reach out and provide treatment," said Russell Williams, Vice President Government Relations and Public Policy, Diabetes Canada.

Raise Your Hand for Diabetes is a unique awareness initiative that leverages patient and caregiver stories to create a community in which people living with diabetes play a direct role in dispelling the myths and stigma surrounding the disease. By visiting the website raiseyourhandfordiabetes.ca, Canadians can upload a video, picture or quote about what matters most on their personal diabetes journey. The website also provides a wealth of resources on diabetes management, including topics such as diet, physical exercise and treatment.

"To strike out diabetes, we must continue to raise awareness and help people better understand the disease. This campaign is a wonderful way to try and achieve the mission of decreasing the stigma and ultimately end diabetes," said Dr. Alice Y.Y. Cheng, MD, FRCPC, Endocrinologist at Credit Valley Hospital and St. Michael's Hospital and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto's Department of Medicine.

"Sanofi Canada is proud to support people living with diabetes. Our Raise Your Hand for Diabetes initiative builds on a legacy that dates back almost 100 years to the 1920s, when the company, then known as Connaught Laboratories, worked with Doctors Banting, Best, Macleod and Collip on the first purification and large-scale production techniques for insulin. This helped turn diabetes into a manageable condition," claimed Michael Mullette, President, Sanofi Canada. "We are committed to continuing to invest in research and to supporting those living with diabetes."

First launched in Québec three years ago in partnership with Diabète Québec, Raise Your Hand for Diabetes has been expanded nationwide in collaboration with Diabetes Canada and STOP Diabetes Foundation.

References
¹ Health Fact Sheets, The 10 leading causes of death, 2012, Statistic Canada [https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-625-x/2015001/article/14296-eng.htm]

For media:
Interview with Michael Mullette and Russell Williams: https://vimeo.com/manage/albums/5479358

About Diabetes Canada - The Canadian Diabetes Association became Diabetes Canada on February 13, 2017 to shed the light on the diabetes epidemic Canada is facing. Their vision is a world free of the effects of diabetes. Their mission is to lead the fight against diabetes by: helping those affected by diabetes to live healthy lives, preventing the onset and consequences of diabetes and discovering a cure.

About Diabetes Québec - Diabetes Québec has been informing and educating the public about diabetes for over 60 years. The general population and people with diabetes in particular benefit from Diabète Québec's efforts to prevent, detect and treat this often devastating disease.

About Sanofi

Sanofi is dedicated to supporting people through their health challenges. We are a global biopharmaceutical company focused on human health. We prevent illness with vaccines, provide innovative treatments to fight pain and ease suffering. We stand by the few who suffer from rare diseases and the millions with long-term chronic conditions.

With more than 100,000 people in 100 countries, Sanofi is transforming scientific innovation into healthcare solutions around the globe.

Sanofi entities in Canada employ close to 1,900 people. In 2016 we invested $130 million in R&D in Canada, creating jobs, business and opportunity throughout the country.

Follow us on Twitter @SanofiCanada and on YouTube.

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