TEVA makes record donation - July 2009
Teva UK Limited, the UK’s largest manufacturer of generic medicines, has donated over 2.5 million treatments of medicines with a value of more than £20 million* to International Health Partners (IHP), what is believed to be a UK record for a single company donation. The donation will treat in the region of one and a half million people in the Developing World.
The record donation includes medicines used for the treatment of diabetes, high blood pressure, acute infections, respiratory and mental health. IHP will distribute the much needed medicines through its charitable partners in developing countries across the globe, including El Salvador, Gambia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Jamaica, Kenya, Pakistan, Romania and Tanzania.
Anthony Dunnett, IHP President, said: “Generous donations like Teva’s are a great example of how industry can help the millions of people worldwide who lack access to essential primary healthcare medicines. These life enhancing and saving medicines will be sent to countries on four continents − it has been a tremendous collaborative effort, each party giving what they do best.
I would like to applaud Teva for their donation and thank DHL, who are providing IHP with free storage facilities and logistics services, and Mawdsleys for preparing the donation for shipment. These drugs will bring healing and relief to around one and a half million people in the developing world, who could presently only dream to receive these medicines that we take for granted.
The first medicines to leave this week will be to relieve the mounting humanitarian crisis in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, where over 2 million people are displaced and living in camps or squatting with friends and relatives. The World Health Organisation in Pakistan has approached IHP to coordinate donations of medicines from Europe to provide the hospitals, clinics and international emergency medical teams.”
Richard Daniell, Senior Director at Teva, commented: “We take it for granted that treatments for conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure are available to us, but in the developing world it’s a different story. As a major generic medicines company our philosophy is about making healthcare accessible, so we’re committed to working with organisations like IHP to help deliver these basic healthcare products to those who need it most.”
The donation from Teva includes more than 40 million tablets, which, if laid end-to-end, would stretch a distance of more than 20 miles, or – put another way − from the Serpentine in Hyde Park to Windsor Castle.
IHP is partnering with a number of international charities in Europe and North America including action medeor, Americares, Caritas, Crossroads, Direct Relief, Food for the Poor, FRRME, Health Partners International Canada, Hospices of Hope, World Jewish Relief, World Health Organisation in Pakistan and The Government of the Gambia) to ensure that these essential drugs reach the people most in need - those who presently have no access to medicines. It is estimated that products will likely save the lives of over 50,000 people and improve the quality of life for a million men, women and children.
To find out more about TEVA please visit www.tevauk.com