The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) recently kicked off a multimedia campaign to raise public awareness of diabetes.

Nearly 21 million Americans know they have diabetes, and as many as 6.2 million more have it and don’t know that they have it. The purpose of PhRMA’s campaign is to stress the importance of patients talking to their doctors about diabetes and to prevent it from striking more victims. It will be supported by national newspaper and television ads, and will include Web sites with information for consumers about treatment options and diabetes prevention.

“As many as 7 percent of all Americans suffer from diabetes, and millions don’t know they have the disease,” says Billy Tauzin, president and CEO of PhRMA. “Because early diagnosis can improve treatment outcomes, it is clear that education is important for patients. Knowledge and early action can often help turn diabetes into a more manageable disease.”

Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in America. The cost to America’s health system to treat the disease amounts to more than $132 billion annually—one in every 10 health care dollars spent in the United States.

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