·More than 530 million people worldwide living with diabetes are at risk for developing diabetic retinal disease (DRD), the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults. 1

·DRD is a growing epidemic that is expected to increase as the incidence of diabetes escalates across the globe.2,3

·There is an urgent need for earlier detection of DRD and novel treatments that work in earlier disease states before vision loss occurs.

Ingelheim, Germany and Ann Arbor, MI, USA, November 12, 2024 – Boehringer Ingelheim and the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative (MTM Vision) today jointly announce the start of a long-term collaboration as Boehringer becomes the first pharmaceutical company to join the MTM Vision Consortium. Housed at the University of Michigan, the MTM Vision Consortium aims to unite innovators in the pre-competitive space from universities, foundations, as well as pharmaceutical and biotech companies. MTM Vision leads this international collaboration, motivated by the urgency of millions of people worldwide who have lost or are at risk of losing their eyesight as a consequence of diabetes.

The Consortium members share several goals: address the need for novel means to better diagnose and stage DRD; validate promising clinical trial endpoints and biomarkers; and accelerate the development of breakthrough therapies. These efforts will enable treatment earlier in disease before vision loss occurs, and contribute to the creation of new regulatory pathways for drug approval.

“We are excited to join forces with MTM Vision in leading a new era of vision preservation and protection for people living with diabetes. This collaboration will help us enhance our understanding of the progression of diabetic retinopathy and the role of retinal non-perfusion, supporting the development of our portfolio in diabetic retinal diseases” said Dr. Ulrike Graefe-Mody, Global Head of Retinal Health at Boehringer Ingelheim. “It also gives us access to a unique biospecimen bank, accelerating our research and biomarker identification. In return, we are openly sharing our current efforts for evidence generation to further understand DRD and support MTM Vision's work. Together, we are setting a course to fundamentally change our understanding of vision loss from diabetes and how it is treated.”

“Here at our third Annual Global Symposium on curing vision loss from diabetes, which coincides with Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month, we are delighted to announce that Boehringer Ingelheim has joined us as a founding member of our MTM Vision Consortium” said Dr. S. Robert Levine, founder and CEO of MTM Vision. “This Symposium provides a platform for the convening of global leaders dedicated to accelerating the development of innovative therapies to prevent and cure vision loss from diabetes. Boehringer Ingelheim's commitment to our pre-competitive Consortium marks a pivotal moment along our path to ensure better patient outcomes by advancing research and sharing critical data. This will significantly strengthen our efforts to catalyze the development of new methods to diagnose and treat diabetic retinal disease earlier, which may preserve vision for millions of people at risk.”

For more information about the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative visit MaryTylerMoore.org. For more information about Boehringer Ingelheim's commitment to retinal health, please visit Boehringer-Ingelheim.com.

Notes to Editors:

About diabetic retinal disease
Diabetic retinal disease (DRD) includes all diabetes-related changes in the retina, including harm to retinal blood vessels (diabetic retinopathy or DR), swelling in the retina (diabetic macular edema or DME), restriction of blood supply to the macula (diabetic macular ischemia or DMI), and damage to retinal nerve cells that help us see (diabetic retinal neuropathy or DRN). 4,5  

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 that can improve and extend lives 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. Learn more at www.boehringeringelheim.com.

About the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative and the MTM Vision Consortium
The Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative (MTM Vision) is a one-of-a-kind non-profit dedicated to accelerating the development of new therapies to preserve and restore vision in people with diabetes. MTM Vision was founded by Dr. S. Robert Levine to honor his wife, Mary Tyler Moore's leadership in diabetes research advocacy. With a focus on fostering groundbreaking research and global collaboration among leading academic institutions, research advocacy groups, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, government agencies, tech firms, philanthropists, and leaders in the entertainment industry, MTM Vision stands at the forefront of the fight against diabetic retinal disease (DRD). In partnership with the University of Michigan (U-M) and the Joslin Diabetes Center, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and housed at the U-M Caswell Diabetes Institute and the U-M Kellogg Eye Center, MTM Vision has established the MTM Vision Consortium, a pre-competitive research initiative accelerating drug development for DRD. The Consortium offers members access to key resources like the MTM Vision Ocular Biorepository and Resource Center and the MTM Vision Clinical Endpoints and Disease Biomarkers Data Resource to support development of breakthrough therapies and FDA approvals.

Boehringer Ingelheim's Intended Audiences Notice
This press release is issued from our Corporate Headquarters in Ingelheim, Germany and is intended to provide information about our global business. Please be aware that information relating to the approval status and labels of approved products may vary from country to country, and a country-specific press release on this topic may have been issued in the countries where we do business.

References

1. Wong TY, Sabanayagam C. Ophthalmologica. 2020;243(1):9–20.
2. Teo ZL, et al. Ophthalmology. 2021;128(11):1580-91.
3. Causes of blindness and vision impairment in 2020 and trends over 30 years, and prevalence of avoidable blindness in relation to VISION 2020: the Right to Sight: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet Glob Health 2021 Feb;9(2):e144-e16.
4. Michael D. Abramoff MD, et al. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 2018;59:519–527.
5. Jennifer K. Sun, MD, MPH, et al.  Ophthalmology. 2020;128:490-3, 2021.

Media Contacts 

Boehringer Ingelheim: 

Linda Ruckel
Boehringer Ingelheim Corporate Center GmbH 
Innovation Unit/Bio Comms, Corp. Affairs 
Media + PR 
press@boehringer-ingelheim.com 
 
Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative:
  
Laura Bachrach
The Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative, Corporate Communications
lb@laurabachrach.com