NEWS RELEASE 1 November 2004
NEW CHARITY URGES PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES TO DONATE MEDICINES
TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
A new charity, International Health Partners, is appealing
to pharmaceutical companies to donate products to aid agencies
and other grassroots users in poorer countries, by creating the
infrastructure for them to do so safely and securely.
The charity is built on the successful operations of a sister
Canadian venture that has been channelling donated pharmaceutical
products to the Third World for over 10 years. There are a number
of similar initiatives that have operated in the US for 50 years.
"From experience in North America and from discussions across
the UK healthcare industry we believe that there could be as
much as £100 million of in-date and usable pharmaceutical
products made available for donation in the UK each year" said
Anthony Dunnett CBE, President of International Health Partners.
"The use of pharmaceutical products is regulated and controlled
for very good medical safety reasons. For pharmaceutical companies
to donate their products to developing countries, they have
to be assured that they will be used properly. However, at present
no mechanism exists for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies
to be distributed in developing countries safely and securely,"
explained Carsten Hennings, the recently appointed Director
of IHP and formerly with Health Partners International of Canada.
"IHP is creating the infrastructure that will allow product
donations to be made with all the appropriate checks and procedures
in place."
The Sussex-based charity will be launched on 11 November 2004
at the House of Commons. It will be run by Anthony Dunnett and
Carsten Hennings. Both have worked extensively in the Public and
private sectors. Carsten has had a varied career including working
in the Bond Markets and being a business studies academic specialising
on socially and environmentally responsible enterprises. He previously
helped to HPIC, the charity's Canadian sister organisation.
Anthony Dunnett, the charity's founder, was an international
banker before running a number of Government Agencies.
Other members of the board, trustees and advisors of IHP include:
John Kelsall, President HPIC; Dr Trevor Jones CBE, World Health
Organisation; The Viscount (Crispin) Brentford, Chairman, Concordis
International; Dr Chris Summerton, NHS Trust Clinical Director,
Consultant Physician and Chairman of Christian Medical Fellowship;
Professor the Lord Ian McColl, CBE, Professor of Surgery, Chairman,
Mercy Ships and President of the Leprosy Mission ; and Stephen
O'Brien, CBE, Chairman, London First and founding CEO of
Business in the Community; Ruth Dunnett, Company Secretary and
Member of General Synod; Gary Davies, Partner, Indigo; Robert
Davies, Chief Executive of the Prince of Wales International Business
Leaders Forum; Dr Hazel Butler, General Practitioner; Sarah Mullally,
Past Chief Nursing Officer, Department of Health; and Tony Neeves,
Vice President, International Development, Compassion International.