DONATED MEDICINES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES NOW AVAILABLE TO UK DOCTORS TRAVELLING OVERSEAS – IHP TRAVEL PACK PROGRAMME

50,000 children and adults in the Developing World can receive primary health care treatment by Christmas through International Health Partners' programme.

IHP announced today the launch of a new programme providing emergency and primary health care kits, each with sufficient medicines to treat 1,000 children and adults in the Developing World. “Each year hundreds of UK doctors and surgeons travel overseas to train medical staff or practice medicine in the Developing World. When they arrive their work is often hampered by the lack of readily available, in-date essential medicines. The medicines we take for granted in the West are a treasured possession in the Developing World that makes the difference between life and death,” commented Anthony Dunnett, President of IHP.

The IHP Doctor’s Travel Pack (DTP) contains over 35 different medicines with a UK wholesale value of over £2,750. The medicines are packed into two hand portable boxes weighing less than 30 kg in total. The pack has been designed, with the help of the British Medical Association, by doctors used to working in primary healthcare situations in the Developing World. Edwin Borman, Chair of the BMA International Committee, said: “The BMA has been pleased to help IHP develop this travel pack. This is a brilliant initiative that for the first time will allow UK doctors to have the primary healthcare medicines and supplies they need when they travel overseas to help patients and colleagues.”

The pack has been made possible by a partnership of more than 20 companies from the UK pharmaceutical industry working together with IHP. The 20 companies have donated the medicines required to enable the charity to assemble the first 50 packs. These are expected to be distributed by Christmas.

Dr. Richard Barker, Director General of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, commented: “IHP’s doctor’s travel pack provides an excellent and highly practical way in which the industry can work together to provide the broad range of quality, in date medicines needed by UK doctors as they serve overseas.” Warwick Smith, Director of the British Generics Manufacturers Association added: “This initiative is a prime example of how the research-based companies, generics manufacturers and over-the-counter providers can work side by side to make a tangible difference to the challenges faced by the Developing World”. Sheila Kelly, Executive Director of the Proprietary Association of Great Britain, said: “Our members and their employees have been really pleased to support the IHP travel packs since it brings a direct connection between their daily work and meeting the needs of those for whom healthcare is simply not available.”

The first two travel packs were sent to Chad (Tchad) this past week for use in the 20 rural primary healthcare clinics supervised by one UK doctor, Dr Ann Fursdon, who commented: “One big problem we face is access to quality affordable essential medicines. Our patients are very poor and cannot afford the cost of medicines, which we can supply. The IHP doctor’s travel pack gives a good supply of essential medicines for our hospital staff and rural health centres enabling us to provide medicines to those who cannot afford them.”

IHP reviews applications from qualified, UK registered doctors to ensure that the medicines will be used by those in need and are distributed both safely and appropriately. The recipient doctors are invited to donate £250 to help cover IHP’s costs of sourcing, warehousing, assembling and sending the packs to the doctors. The DTP ensures that the correct quantities of quality, in-date medicines are all available in one compact kit for the doctor at a fraction of the cost it would take to assemble a similar humanitarian medical pack. All the medicines in the DTPs are for distribution with no charge to recipients in clinics or hospitals in countries where medicines are not freely available to the poor.

The following companies donated medicines to the first phase of 50 IHP travel packs. Discussions are ongoing with a substantial number of other companies to join in this programme:

3M Healthcare		Pfizer Consumer Healthcare
Almus (Unichem)		PLIVA Pharma
Altana Pharma		Ratiopharm
Galderma		Roche Products
Genus Pharmaceuticals		Sanofi Aventis
Kent Pharmaceuticals		Schering-Plough
Janssen-Cilag		Seven Seas (Merck AG)
Merck Sharp & Dohme		UCB Pharma
Niche Generics		Winthrop
Novartis Consumer Health		Wyeth Pharmaceuticals

IHP was launched last year on Remembrance Day - 11 November 2004. IHP brings together its five stakeholder groups (5 Departments of Government; the 5 UK industry associations serving the UK healthcare industry; the UK medical community – BMA, Royal Colleges and various Associations; NGOs; and interested individuals) to be the trusted bridge to bring donated medicines to healthcare professionals in the Developing World.

In the last 10 months IHP has received donations from over 40 companies and has already sent £4m of quality, in-date donated medicines to 11 countries. IHP subscribes to the World Health Organisation’s Guidelines for Donated Medicines.

Media Contact: Jenina Bas + 44 (0) 7971 551 778 / jbas@pendrywhite.com