India, which has 61.26 million people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (8.3 percent of the population), ranks second only to China in total cases and ranks third, behind the US (10.9 percent) and China, in terms of prevalence. By 2030, India will have 101.2 million people with type 2 diabetes, according to IDF estimates.

These two emerging markets are important to both BMS and its foundation. In mid-May, BMS celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of its joint venture in China, Sino-American Shanghai Squibb Pharmaceuticals. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the BMS Foundation's Delivering Hope initiative to address hepatitis B and C in Asia.

How do you plan to work in China and India to help curb type 2 diabetes through this program?

Mr Damonti: Together on Diabetes awarded its first grants in China in mid-May. The Shanghai Charity Foundation (SCF) will receive $522,797 over three years to create an efficient and effective community-based, block-by-block approach for managing type 2 diabetes in Shanghai.

The most recent survey conducted by the Shanghai Center for Disease Control (SCDC) shows the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Shanghai reached 16 percent last year, more than six percentage points above the national average and nearly five percentage points higher than other Chinese cities.