American Diabetes Association

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is a nonprofit health organization "providing diabetes research, information and advocacy", subsidized in part by pharmaceutical corporate benefactors.

ADA & Drug Industry Secondments
In May 2006, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the ADA "privately enlisted an Eli Lilly & Co. executive to chart its growth strategy and write its slogan." Lilly executive Emerson "Randy" Hall, Jr. told the Inquirer that he helped the organization market itself and came up with its slogan, 'Cure. Care. Commitment.' He estimated that his work would have cost "hundreds of thousands" from a contractor. 

Also, the Inquirer reported that the ADA did not include in its 2000-2001 annual report that Hall had been seconded into the organization. Hall, it reported, "moved into its Alexandria, Va., headquarters and coached it on growth strategies, all paid by Lilly." 

Vaneeda Bennett, the ADA vice president for development, said "We always walk a fine line on showing favoritism to one company or another. I would imagine other corporate donors would look askance at it," Bennett said, adding that, if it were offered again, "we'd ask for money."

ADA and food funders
"If you are wondering why Americans are losing the wars on cancer, heart disease and diabetes, you might look at the funding sources of the major public health groups," Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman wrote in May 2005. "Big corporations dump big money into these groups. And pretty soon, the groups start taking the line of the big corporations. Case in point: the (ADA). Earlier this month, the ADA cut a deal with candy and soda pop maker Cadbury Schweppes. Here's the deal - Cadbury Schweppes kicks in a couple million dollars to the ADA. In return, the company gets to use the ADA label on its diet drinks - plus the positive publicity generated by the deal. Cadbury makes Dr. Pepper and such nutritious treats as Cadbury's Cream Egg. You would have to have your head buried deeply in the sand to deny that sugar-filled soda is fueling childhood obesity - which in turn in is fueling type 2 diabetes." In an interview with the Corporate Crime Reporter, ADA's Richard Kahn emphasized that the ADA logo would only appear on "products that are better to eat." 

Contact details
American Diabetes Association 1701 North Beauregard Street Alexandria, VA 22311 Phone: 1-800-342-2383 Web: http://www.diabetes.org

Related Sourcewatch

 * Mark S. Jaffe