Award-winning comedian and actor, Cedric “The Entertainer,” is getting serious as part of a new program –Step On Up™ – which aims to educate people, including the more than 29 million Americans living with diabetes about painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy, or diabetic nerve pain, a common complication of the disease. The program, which was developed as a collaboration between the American Diabetes Association and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE), encourages people with diabetes who have burning, shooting pain in their feet or hands to talk with their health care provider about their symptoms and seek some pain relief. One in five people with diabetes suffers from diabetic nerve pain, including Cedric’s father, but many don’t discuss their painful symptoms with their health care provider.

“Like a lot of people living with diabetes, my dad didn’t want to talk about the burning pain he was feeling in his feet and hands. I knew something was wrong when it limited the things he loved to do, like gardening, long drives and visiting our family,” said Cedric. “Step On Up aims to educate people with diabetes who have this pain, and empower them to talk with their doctor about how it’s impacting family time, work or making their diabetes difficult to manage.”

Timed to American Diabetes Month^®, the program brings Cedric and his personal connection with diabetic nerve pain to the forefront in a national Public Service Announcement. He is urging people with diabetes who have burning pain in their feet or hands to visit StepOnUp.com – an educational website for people with diabetes who want to learn about these symptoms and take a Diabetic Nerve Pain Assessment.

“American Diabetes Month is the perfect time to call attention to painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy, a common type of nerve damage in people with diabetes. The American Diabetes Association is pleased to join Pfizer and Cedric ‘The Entertainer’ to help spread the word about this condition through Step On Up,” said Marjorie Cypress, PhD, CNP, CDE, President, Health Care & Education, American Diabetes Association. “This program will help provide resources for people living with diabetes to learn more about diabetic nerve pain, assess their symptoms and encourage them to talk with their health care provider about steps they can take to better manage their pain.”

In the United States (U.S.), diabetic nerve pain impacts Black adults with diabetes more severely than others within the general population, based on an analysis conducted by Pfizer of an electronic medical records database. In fact, one third of those living with the condition over the age of 40 are Black or Hispanic. As part of Step On Up, Cedric is reaching out to all people who are living with the condition and trying to manage it alone, as well as individuals who are undiagnosed and may not have yet connected the pain with their diabetes or may fear what the pain means. Cedric is asking these people to ‘step on up,’ talk with their health care provider about their symptoms and stop suffering in silence.

“Diabetes affects U.S. minority populations at higher rates, and complications of the disease too often go undiagnosed and untreated,” explained Freda Lewis-Hall, M.D., Pfizer’s Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. “Pfizer is pleased to work with the American Diabetes Association on the Step On Up program to help spread the message to affected communities that complications such as diabetic nerve pain need not be suffered in silence.”

Later this month, Cedric will participate in the American Diabetes Association’s “I Decide” to Stop Diabetes Day in Chicago, Illinois. He will also attend the Association’s Diabetes EXPO in Atlanta, Georgia to talk with people affected by diabetes about diabetic nerve pain and how to get a diagnosis and start on the path toward some pain relief.

About Diabetic Nerve Pain

Nearly half of the 29 million people with diabetes in the U.S. have some form of nerve damage, a common complication of diabetes. Poor diabetes control increases the risk for nerve damage. For one out of five people with diabetes, nerve damage can cause burning, shooting, pins-and-needles pain – a condition known as painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy, or diabetic nerve pain, which most often occurs in the feet or hands. While people with diabetes can develop nerve problems at any time, the risk is greater the longer a person has diabetes. For more information, visit www.steponup.com.

About the American Diabetes Association

The American Diabetes Association is leading the fight to Stop Diabetes and its deadly consequences and fighting for those affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes. Founded in 1940, our mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

For more information please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (800-342-2383) or visit www.diabetes.org. Information from both these sources is available in English and Spanish.

Pfizer Inc.: Working together for a healthier world™

At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care products. Our global portfolio includes medicines and vaccines as well as many of the world's best-known consumer health care products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world's premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, Pfizer has worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. To learn more, please visit us at www.pfizer.com.

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