India and the United States have entered into an agreement for collaboration in diabetes research. The agreement was signed during a meeting between Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and US Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

An official release said the primary aim of this collaboration is to initiate a health research relationship between the two countries to generate a better understanding and to identify innovative approaches for improving prevention and treatment of diabetes.

The two countries will promote and develop cooperation in the field of basic and clinical research in the areas of diabetes. Joint efforts will also focus on developing cost-effective tools and approaches to translate research results into policies and actions to improve the public health.

The release said the agreement between India and the US was significantly beneficial in view of the rising burden of non-communicable diseases in both countries. This is the eighth agreement between the two countries in the field of health and medicine.