National Kidney Foundation and Abbott Team Up to Promote Good Nutrition for Americans with Chronic Kidney Disease

    NEW YORK, Oct. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
 and Abbott's Ross Products Division announced today a joint partnership to
 develop educational programs that focus on nutrition and chronic kidney
 disease. The new initiative, which is part of NKF's "Partners in Education
 Program," will feature print and online educational programs for both
 patients and health care professionals. In addition, Abbott will be
 identified with the NKF's Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP), a free
 health screening for those at risk of chronic kidney disease. All
 educational programs will be developed by the NKF and promoted through its
 Kidney Learning System. Abbott will promote the new partnership by
 displaying the NKF's logo on the product labels of its two nutritional
 supplements for people with kidney disease, Nepro(TM) and Suplena(TM).
     "Malnutrition is common in patients with chronic kidney disease," says
 Allan Collins, MD, president of the National Kidney Foundation. "Recent
 studies have shown that it is an issue even for patients who are not yet
 receiving dialysis treatment and that those who suffer malnutrition before
 dialysis have a greater risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
 Maintaining good nutritional status is critically important for all people
 with chronic kidney disease."
     "Our company has a longstanding commitment to educating health care
 professionals and their patients about the important role nutrition plays
 in health maintenance and disease management," states Gary McCullough,
 president of Abbott's Ross Products Division. "We are pleased to be
 partners with the National Kidney Foundation for this nationwide initiative
 that will benefit people living with Chronic Kidney Disease."
     Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a condition where the kidneys are no
 longer able to filter toxins from the blood to sustain healthy body
 function.
     About National Kidney Foundation
     The National Kidney Foundation is the nation's largest voluntary agency
 dedicated to preventing and treating kidney and urinary tract diseases,
 improving the health and well being of individuals and families affected by
 these diseases and increasing the availability of all organs for
 transplantation. To receive free copies of "Nutrition and Chronic Kidney
 Disease in the Early Stages: Are You Getting What You Need?" and "Nutrition
 and Dialysis: Are You Getting What You Need?," contact the National Kidney
 Foundation at 800-622-9010.
     About Abbott
     Abbott is committed to ongoing innovation in the area of chronic kidney
 disease. Abbott produces two nutritional supplements for people with kidney
 disease: Nepro and Suplena. Nepro is specifically designed and clinically
 shown to support the nutritional needs and altered metabolism of people on
 dialysis. Suplena is a low-protein, high-calorie nutritionally complete
 formula with a vitamin and mineral profile specifically designed for people
 in earlier stages of chronic kidney disease who are not receiving dialysis.
 The company also markets oral and IV-form activated vitamin D medications
 to address the needs of both CKD and dialysis patients.
     Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the
 discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and
 medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The
 company employs 65,000 people and markets its products in more than 130
 countries.
     Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the
 company's Web site at http://www.abbott.com.
 
 

SOURCE National Kidney Foundation