Bayer Diabetes Care Partners With Nick Jonas to Encourage Young People to Proactively Manage Their Diabetes

TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Aug. 6 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Nick Jonas, the youngest member of the Jonas Brothers established his role as a diabetes ambassador by launching a new partnership with Bayer Diabetes Care to provide young people and their families with the motivation and support they need to help simplify life with diabetes.

At a press conference today in New York City, Nick and Bayer kicked off their long-term partnership, with Bayer making an initial large donation to the Change for the Children Foundation to support Nick’s goal of helping children with diabetes. The Foundation is a Jonas Brothers organization that provides support to programs that motivate and inspire children to face adversity with confidence, determination and a will to succeed. The partnership will provide resources and information over the next few years specifically designed for young people with diabetes to help them simplify their lives and successfully manage their disease.

Nick, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 13, is passionate about sharing his personal story because he knows so many young people like him can feel alone and even embarrassed by the disease. It’s important to Nick to take what he’s learned and what works for him and pass it along to others who may be feeling the same way.

“Nearly every day I hear from someone like me who says that I make them feel it’s OK to have diabetes and that’s really cool that I can do that,” said Nick Jonas. “I know I’m lucky because I have a family that encourages me a lot. I want to give that same inspiration to other kids with diabetes, and working with Bayer lets me do that.”

Bayer and Nick share a common goal of helping people with diabetes simplify their lives by achieving “Simple Wins”: small, everyday victories for managing the disease that can lead to big differences over time. For Nick, a Simple Win is about making other kids with diabetes feel like they can live their dreams and have a positive outlook.

“Nick is a deeply passionate role model for young people with diabetes and their families, and Bayer shares in his dedication,” said Sandra Peterson, President of Bayer Diabetes Care. “Bayer believes Nick can play a significant role in encouraging all people with diabetes, no matter how young or old, to be proactive in managing their diabetes to live their lives to the fullest.”

Through the partnership, young people with diabetes and their families can log on to http://www.nickssimplewins.com/, where they can check out more about Nick’s personal experiences. Nick will be blogging about his latest activities, giving updates on chances to meet him in person and sharing ideas on how to achieve Simple Wins. Also available to download is “A Little Bit Longer,” a new single released yesterday and the title track to the Jonas Brothers’ upcoming album. Nick wrote this song when he was having a particularly hard day managing his diabetes and feels supported when his fans sing along to the lyrics.

“I’m so proud of Nick’s incredibly positive attitude and his sense of responsibility to give back to other people with diabetes,” said Nick’s mom, Denise Jonas. She plans to be involved in the program, working with her family to help provide information and encouragement to other families living with diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease where the body doesn’t produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is the hormone that converts sugar, starches and other food into the energy needed to live. According to the Centers for Disease Control, diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases among children in the United States. About 150,000 young people under 18 years of age have diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes, is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. With type 1 diabetes, your body makes little or no insulin, which may result in many complications if glucose levels are not controlled.

Nick uses the new Bayer CONTOUR(R) meter to test how much glucose or sugar is in his blood so he can determine how much insulin he needs as well as to see how his treatment regimen is working. It’s the first thing he learned about managing his condition. CONTOUR Colors meters will be available soon in Green Apple, Royal Purple and Graphite Gray — to fit everyone’s individual style.

“I check my blood sugar level up to 12 times a day so it’s very important that my meter fits with my lifestyle,” said Nick. “My new Bayer CONTOUR meter lets me personalize the settings when I need to test myself before a meal or reminding me to check after a meal, for example, depending on my schedule on a specific day.”

About Change for the Children Foundation

The Change for the Children Foundation is a Jonas Brothers organization that provides support to programs that motivate and inspire children to face adversity with confidence, determination and a will to succeed. The Jonas Brothers believe that the best people to help children are their peers, and the foundation provides opportunities for kids to help other kids who are a little less fortunate.

“YOU Decide. YOU Donate.” is a current initiative of The Change for the Children Foundation. The Jonas Brothers have selected five charities and are calling on kids to decide which one to support.

D-Vision is Nick Jonas’ part of the Change for the Children Foundation. Its goal is to support people with diabetes and help raise money and awareness to research a cure. http://www.changeforthechildren.org/

Bayer HealthCare, Diabetes Care

Bayer HealthCare, Diabetes Care is a worldwide leader in diabetes, supporting customers in 100 countries. Since the introduction of CLINITEST(R) reagent tablets in 1941, Bayer has led the way in diabetes care product innovation. The company changed the face of diabetes care in 1969 when it introduced the first portable blood glucose meter and test strips. Bayer HealthCare further innovated diabetes management by being the first company to introduce a suite of blood glucose monitors with No Coding(TM) technology. The BREEZE(R)2 and CONTOUR(R) blood glucose monitoring systems offer people with diabetes an unparalleled choice in diabetes management systems. The Arthritis Foundation in the United States and the Arthritis Society of Canada each granted Ease-of Use Commendation to the BREEZE(R)2 meter. BREEZE(R) represents the first time a blood glucose meter has been recognized as easy to use for arthritis sufferers.

In July 2006, Bayer Diabetes Care acquired Metrika Inc., maker and manufacturer of A1CNow+, a meter-based diabetes monitoring system for measurement of A1C (glycated hemoglobin) an important indicator of long term blood sugar control. Bayer HealthCare, Diabetes Care global headquarters is located in Tarrytown, New York, in the United States and operates as part of Bayer HealthCare LLC, a member of the worldwide Bayer HealthCare group. http://www.bayerdiabetes.com/us

Bayer HealthCare

Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. The pharmaceuticals business operates under the name Bayer Schering Pharma AG. Bayer HealthCare’s aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide.

This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in our public reports filed with the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (including our Form 20-F). The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to inform them to future events or developments.

Bayer Diabetes Care

CONTACT: Staci Gouveia, office +1-914-366-1819, cell +1-203-809-9008,[email protected], or Susan Yarin, office +1-914-366-1738, cell+1-914-479-7589, [email protected], both of Bayer Diabetes Care

Web site: http://www.bayerdiabetes.com/ushttp://www.nickssimplewins.com/http://www.changeforthechildren.org/