For third year in a row, BMS employees participated in a cycling relay to raise funds for Stand Up To Cancer’s efforts to accelerate cancer research

PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Bristol-Myers Squibb’s (NYSE:BMY) Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer has raised more than $1,050,000 to support Stand Up To Cancer’s collaborative cancer research programs. In this third year of the relay, six teams of BMS employees -- with 80 employees in total -- set out on September 7 to bike 2,800 miles in 21 days from the Oregon Coast to the New Jersey shore to support Stand Up To Cancer, whose collaborative “Dream Teams” of scientific researchers are working together to accelerate cancer research and to provide innovative treatments to patients faster. Bristol-Myers Squibb matched all money raised by the cyclists, dollar-for-dollar, up to $500,000.

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(Photo: Bristol-Myers Squibb)

“Our teams of cyclists demonstrated what drives all of us at Bristol-Myers Squibb every day: to challenge ourselves individually and together to fight cancer. They woke before dawn in towns far from home to bike along roads stretching across the continent with one thing in mind: to raise money and awareness to accelerate cancer research,” said Chris Boerner, PhD, president and head of U.S. commercial operations, Bristol-Myers Squibb, who rode several legs of this year’s relay himself. “I’m deeply proud of these riders, many of whom have never seriously biked before. Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer is an enormously meaningful event for us all because we are devoted to fighting for patients.”

One of this year’s riders, Whitney Melton, reflected, “There were moments on the road that were very hard to push through, to be honest. We all got tired and we all had to rely on our teammates to get us over that next hill in 90 degree weather. But every time, we prevailed and it was because of the inspiring examples of people facing cancer. We rode for them.”

“The Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer Ride is so moving because of the deeply personal commitment these 80 individuals make, one of whom is a cancer patient,” said Katie Couric, Yahoo Global News anchor and Stand Up To Cancer co-founder. “Stand Up To Cancer is about taking collaboration to new levels. Working as teams, they rode in honor of friends and family who’ve contended with this terrible disease. The monies pledged in connection with the ride -- and generously matched by Bristol-Myers Squibb -- will fund innovative research, enabling more cancer patients to become long-term survivors. On behalf of all of us at Stand Up, I want to thank these Bristol-Myers Squibb employees and everyone at the company for this extraordinary grassroots support of our efforts.”

About Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol-Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About Stand Up To Cancer

Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) raises funds to accelerate the pace of research to get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now. SU2C, a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, was established in 2008 by film and media leaders who utilize the industry’s resources to engage the public in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, and to increase awareness about progress being made in the fight against the disease. As SU2C’s scientific partner, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and a Scientific Advisory Committee led by Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., conduct rigorous, competitive review processes to identify the best research proposals to recommend for funding, oversee grants administration, and provide expert review of research progress.

Current members of the SU2C Council of Founders and Advisors (CFA) include Katie Couric, Sherry Lansing, Lisa Paulsen, Rusty Robertson, Sue Schwartz, Pamela Oas Williams, Ellen Ziffren, and Kathleen Lobb. The late Laura Ziskin was also a co-founder. Sung Poblete, Ph.D., R.N., has served as SU2C’s president since 2011.

For more information on Stand Up To Cancer, visit www.standup2cancer.org

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Source: Bristol-Myers Squibb