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Secure the FutureCare and Support for Women and Children with HIV/AIDS Secure the FutureCare and Support for Women and Children with HIV/AIDS BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB: A GLOBAL COMMITMENT TO HIV/AIDS Since the discovery of the HIV virus in the early 1980s, HIV/AIDS has grown into a global pandemic, while thefield of HIV/AIDS research has moved into a new era of therapeutic advances. Within this constantly changingarena, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company has remained strongly committed to extending the survival andenhancing the lives of people with HIV/AIDS. As a leader in this field, Bristol-Myers Squibb will continue itsefforts in the areas of patient education, clinical research, health provider training, and collaboration withgovernment, academic and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to bring the benefits of medical researchto HIV-infected patients worldwide.
THE GLOBAL CRISISUNAIDS, the joint United Nations program that is the world’s leading advocate for global action on HIV/AIDS,estimates that there are currently 34 million people living with HIV/AIDS around the world, with 16,000 newHIV infections occurring daily. Of these new cases, 90 percent are in developing countries. This growing gapbetween developed and developing nations underscores the need for outreach efforts to stem the spread ofHIV/AIDS. While developing countries struggle to compete in the global economy, they also face the humanand economic impact of HIV/AIDS. With poor public health infrastructures and limited resources, manydeveloping countries are still struggling to provide such fundamental services as safe drinking water and propersanitation. In these countries, while some treatment is taking place, the disease remains largely untreated.
Cultural and logistical barriers challenge health providers in their educational efforts.
BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB OUTREACH EFFORTSAn integral part of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s commitment to enhancing the lives of people with HIV/AIDS is thecompany’s strong support of numerous community programs that share that commitment. These include: UNAIDS Access Program: Bristol-Myers Squibb is one of only a few pharmaceutical companies to participate inthe UNAIDS Access Program, first launched at the Geneva World AIDS Conference in July 1998.
Bristol-Myers Squibb is now providing financial support for this program, which includes education andoutreach, training, diagnosis and treatment, and aims to increase access to medicines for people infected withHIV/AIDS in Uganda and the Ivory Coast. In these countries, where systems have been established to ensureeffective distribution and use of HIV/AIDS medicines, Bristol-Myers Squibb will provide HIV/AIDS treatment atreduced cost.
Included in this access program is the full range of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s HIV/AIDS medicines, including Zerit(stavudine, d4t), VIDEX (didanosine, ddI) and Megace (megestrol acetate) Oral Suspension, as well as anumber of antibiotics to treat opportunistic infections.
Programs in North America: In the U.S., the company is actively involved in the support of educationaloutreach to the HIV/AIDS community, sponsoring numerous conferences and symposia throughout the year.
To ensure an ongoing dialogue, Bristol-Myers Squibb has established four regional boards, composed ofphysicians and community leaders, that meet regularly to discuss HIV/AIDS issues. To further its outreach A program supported by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Secure the FutureCare and Support for Women and Children with HIV/AIDS efforts, Bristol-Myers Squibb supports a number of Web sites, including those at the Johns Hopkins MedicalInstitutions and the University of California, San Francisco, which provide updated clinical data and informationabout treatment trends. Additionally, the company provides physicians with educational materials targeted tothe lower literacy levels of many underserved communities.
Through the Infectious Disease Unrestricted Research Grants Program of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation,more than US$8.5 million in unrestricted funding has been committed to research institutions since 1991.
Recognizing the shift in demographics of HIV/AIDS incidence toward women and minorities, the Foundationprovided support through the American Foundation for AIDS Research for the first national program to improvethe recruitment and retention of women in clinical trials of new HIV/AIDS therapies. Before VIDEX received final approval for marketing in 1991, the company provided the drug free of charge to23,000 HIV-infected individuals through a unique patient assistance program for HIV/AIDS medications, inaddition to those who were receiving it through clinical trials. The expanded access program remains in placetoday throughout the U.S., providing treatment to individuals without the means to purchase it. In Canada,Bristol-Myers Squibb provides Zerit pediatric formulation at no cost to children with HIV/AIDS through theBristol-Myers Squibb Drug Release Program. The company is also part of Back to Work, an industry-supportedeffort targeting HIV-positive patients that addresses issues around HIV/AIDS management in the work settingand encourages treatment adherence. Bristol-Myers Squibb, in collaboration with HIV/AIDS communitygroups, initiated a series of public forums in major North American cities to discuss treatment issues andoptions.
Programs in Central/South America: In this region, HIV/AIDS incidence rates are rising among women andintravenous drug users, two populations on the social and economic margins of society. In Argentina, Bristol-Myers Squibb provides both VIDEX and Zerit at a discount to two NGOs, Fundacion Huesped and FUNDAI. InPeru, Bristol-Myers Squibb has initiated a program known as White Code, which provides discounts forHIV/AIDS therapies and assures anonymity to those enrolled in the program. In Brazil, the company isparticipating in a countrywide effort to create HIV/AIDS treatment guidelines with physicians and communityleaders. Throughout the region, Bristol-Myers Squibb supports continuing medical education and sponsorsnational and regional symposia. Programs in Europe: In Western Europe, new AIDS cases dropped by 3 percent between 1995 and 1997. Inmany European countries, HIV/AIDS therapies are available to individuals through national health plans. In thisregion, Bristol-Myers Squibb efforts focus mainly on educational outreach to both physicians and patientpopulations. For example, in Austria, Bristol-Myers Squibb provides posters and supports a self-care manualand a Web site devoted to patient care. In France, Bristol-Myers Squibb was the first company to formalizerelationships with HIV/AIDS advocacy groups. The company produced educational CD-ROMs for physicians aswell as the media and funded the first meeting to discuss HIV/AIDS in women and children. In Italy, Bristol-Myers Squibb worked with patient groups to develop a tool to improve drug adherence that is now available inother countries. Additional regional activities include the support of patient advocacy efforts and travelassistance for conference participation in Germany, and the sponsorship of educational handbooks and a Website in Spain. In Eastern Europe, where there has been a dramatic surge in HIV infection, Bristol-Myers Squibbassists public health leaders by supporting their participation in international and regional meetings. Thecompany currently is developing clinical trial sites in Russia and Poland.
A program supported by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Secure the FutureCare and Support for Women and Children with HIV/AIDS Programs in Africa: An estimated two thirds of the global population with HIV/AIDS resides in sub-SaharanAfrica, including South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland – the countries that are the focus ofBristol-Myers Squibb’s SECURE THE FUTURE™ program. Of the 2.7 million children who have died from AIDSworldwide, 2.5 million have died in sub-Saharan Africa. The prevalence of HIV-infected pregnant women is ashigh as 36 percent in certain countries in this region. Throughout sub-Saharan Africa, Bristol-Myers Squibb has produced educational materials, supported trainingprograms and sponsored conferences. It has worked in close partnership with the Organisation Pan Africainede Lutte contre le Sida (OPALS), an NGO based in France that has developed a health curriculum on HIV/AIDSfor health care providers. Bristol-Myers Squibb also supports AFRICARE in its educational and advocacy efforts.
In South Africa and Botswana, Bristol-Myers Squibb has been working with community leaders andgovernment officials to expand access to therapy. In these countries, Bristol-Myers Squibb supports medicaleducation activities for local HIV/AIDS specialists. One project, called AIDSFACT, is designed to educate healthcare professionals on the management of HIV/AIDS; it is authored by HIV/AIDS experts in South Africa andwas distributed to 10,000 general practitioners in 1998. With the announcement of the program, SECURE THE FUTURE: Care and Support for Women and Childrenwith HIV/AIDS, Bristol-Myers Squibb broadens its efforts to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. With a commitment ofUS$100 million to support HIV/AIDS research and community education and outreach, the program is thesingle largest corporate undertaking of its kind to address HIV/AIDS where it has the greatest impact.
Programs in Asia: More than one in five people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS – or about 6.4 million people— are believed to reside in Asia and the Pacific region. Rates of infection vary greatly from country to country,as does the means of transmission. While Thailand’s epidemic has been well documented, other areas lackthe same level of monitoring. Bristol-Myers Squibb has focused on educational efforts for public health andmedical professionals to help these countries address this emerging health problem. Bristol-Myers Squibb hassponsored a regional train-the-trainer program for Asian leadership. In Hong Kong, Bristol-Myers Squibbsponsored a government health department publication for health professionals as well as a symposium forHIV/AIDS specialists. In Thailand, Bristol-Myers Squibb donated Zerit to the AIDS Division of Health to treathealth care workers who may have been exposed to the virus through pin-pricks or other aspects of their work.
Programs in Australia: Educational efforts and access to therapies have had a positive impact on the fightagainst HIV/AIDS in Australia. Bristol-Myers Squibb has sponsored several national meetings on HIV/AIDSawareness and care. Bristol-Myers Squibb is participating in efforts by the Australian Society for HIV Medicineto coordinate medical education for HIV/AIDS specialists. The company also is sponsoring a study ofphysicians who treat HIV/AIDS to determine their information needs. DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE HIV/AIDS THERAPIESGuided by its mission to extend and enhance human life, Bristol-Myers Squibb has been a leader in the searchto find effective therapies for HIV/AIDS since the 1980s. Zerit, the company’s flagship HIV/AIDS product,combines excellent efficacy with patient convenience and tolerability. As a result, Zerit has outpaced AZT inthe U.S., becoming the thymidine nucleoside analog of choice. A program supported by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Secure the FutureCare and Support for Women and Children with HIV/AIDS VIDEX, an earlier nucleoside analog brought to market by the company in 1991, has amassed the mostextensive clinical research database of any HIV/AIDS drug and remains one of the most effective anti-retroviraldrugs. Bristol-Myers Squibb continues to develop improved schedules and formulations of VIDEX and to studyits efficacy in combination with many other anti-retroviral drugs. Bristol-Myers Squibb also markets Megace (megestrol acetate) Oral Suspension for AIDS-relatedanorexia/cachexia and unexplained weight-loss; Fungizone (amphotericin B) Oral Suspension for oralcandidiasis in HIV-infected patients; and in the U.S., TAXOL® (paclitaxel) injection for AIDS-related Kaposi’ssarcoma.
Bristol-Myers Squibb has long been a leader in antibiotic research. In 1943, the company completed the firstcrystallization of penicillin, which greatly improved the drug’s quality and safety and paved the way for massproduction. In 1944, the company opened the largest penicillin production plant in the world. And in 1945,the company crystallized streptomycin, ushering in the next generation of antibiotics after penicillin. Since thattime, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute (PRI) has become a global research anddevelopment organization dedicated to discovering and developing a broad range of innovative and cost-effective medicines that improve the health and quality of life for people worldwide.
Today, infectious disease drug discovery and development continues to be an important part of the PRI’sefforts. Research to develop novel antibacterials, antivirals and antifungals is ongoing, particularly in areas oflargest unmet need, such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis and drug-resistant bacterial infection. Bristol-Myers Squibb iscommitted to developing new and innovative products to extend and enhance the lives of people withHIV/AIDS. The company is currently supporting more than 125 HIV/AIDS clinical trials worldwide. Thesetrials are designed to improve the understanding and use of the company’s existing HIV/AIDS products, Zeritand VIDEX, and elucidate the role of potential new treatments such as hydroxyurea. Bristol-Myers Squibb isalso actively involved in discovery research studies exploring the role of many other new agents. A program supported by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

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