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Boehringer Ingelheim Joins Largest-Ever Global Program with United Nations Agencies to Accelerate Access to HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment in Developing Countries

Ingelheim, Germany (ots-PRNewswire) -

Boehringer Ingelheim
announced today that, as one of  five leading pharmaceutical
companies, it is joining a new initiative with United Nations
organisations to explore ways to accelerate and improve the provision
of HIV/AIDS-related care and treatment in developing countries.
Constructive discussions have begun between the five companies
(Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, F. Hoffman-La Roche,
Glaxo Wellcome and Merck & Co., Inc.,)and the five United Nations
agencies (WHO, World Bank, UNICEF, UNFPA and  UNAIDS) to explore
practical and specific ways of working together more closely to make
HIV/AIDS care and treatment available and affordable to significantly
greater numbers of people in need in developing countries.
The participants have adopted a set of principles that reflect a
common vision of how the HIV/AIDS epidemic can be more effectively
tackled in developing countries: unequivocal and ongoing political
commitment by national governments; strengthened national capacity;
engagement of all sectors of national society and the global
community; efficient, reliable and secure distribution systems;
significant additional funding from national and international
sources: and continued investment in research and development by the
pharmaceutical industry.
Boehringer Ingelheim as well as the other participants in the
effort acknowledge that affordability of HIV/AIDS-related care and
treatment is an issue in developing countries -- though only one
among many obstacles to access including social/political/structural
and economic issues, healthcare financing, physical barriers, and
information gaps.
The companies are willing to work with committed governments,
international organizations and other stakeholders to find ways to
broaden access while ensuring rational, affordable, safe and
effective use of drugs for HIV/AIDS-related illnesses. The companies,
individually, are offering to improve significantly access to and
availability of a range of medicines.
Boehringer Ingelheim has focused a number of years on HIV drug
research to prevent new infections as well as to treat HIV infected
people around the world. Apart from high investments in Research and
Development and sponsoring initiatives (such as to the Elizabeth
Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation), Boehringer Ingelheim is supporting
training initiatives for the developing world as a partner of the
IAS-SHARE Treating Program for Physicians.
Boehringer Ingelheim's anti-HIV drug VIRAMUNE(R) (nevirapine) can
help fill a critical need in the developing world where UNAIDS
estimates approximately 1,800 HIV-infected babies are born every day.
VIRAMUNE has been shown to be a well tolerated, effective and
affordable option in reducing the incidence of mother-to-child
transmission (MTCT) of HIV. This was demonstrated in a trial
conducted in Uganda, HIVNET 012*, which showed that a simple regimen
of one oral dose of VIRAMUNE given to an HIV-infected woman in labor
and another to her newborn within three days of birth was almost
twice as effective in reducing MTCT as a similar short course of
zidovudine (ZDV, AZT).
"This global program represents a real turning point in the fight
against HIV/AIDS in the developing world," said Prof. Dr. Rolf Krebs,
Vice-Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors at Boehringer
Ingelheim. "This is the first time that both the public and private
sector are joining forces to implement a major change in the care of
HIV/AIDS in the developing world."
The goal of this new cooperation is to reach agreement on how to
enhance progressively the capacity of developing countries to
increase the access to, and use of, sustainable, comprehensive and
quality HIV/AIDS interventions across the entire spectrum of
prevention, treatment, patient care and support (including prevention
of perinatal transmission). This effort would contribute to the
International Partnership against AIDS in Africa, as well as to
efforts to curb the spread of HIV and mitigate its impact on other
continents.
The Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies, with headquarters in
Ingelheim (Germany) is one of the 20 leading pharmaceutical
corporations in the world. It reported revenues of almost DEM 10
billion in 1999.
The corporation has some 140 affiliated companies and it conducts
business on every continent. It focuses on human pharmaceuticals
(ethical and self-medication products), and animal health.
Substantial research and development, production, and distribution
facilities are located around the globe. In 1999 Boehringer Ingelheim
spent DEM 1.6 billion on R&D, equivalent to 16% of total sales.
For more information on Boehringer Ingelheim please see also the
company's Internet webpage http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com.
Additional information on VIRAMUNE:
VIRAMUNE
VIRAMUNE was the first member of the NNRTI class of anti-HIV/AIDS
drugs to be approved. VIRAMUNE tablets and oral suspension are
indicated as part of a combination therapy for the antiviral
treatment of HIV-1 infected adults and children with advanced or
progressive immunodeficiency. While VIRAMUNE is not indicated for the
prevention of MTCT in Europe and the United States, a number
countries are presently assessing  VIRAMUNE for the approval for the
prevention of MTCT when it is given as a single dose to an
HIV-positive mother during labor and to her newborn within 72 hours
of birth. For chronic care, combining three or more antiretroviral
agents is the standard of care for adults and children infected with
HIV.
VIRAMUNE is generally well-tolerated. The most commonly reported
adverse events associated with VIRAMUNE are rash, fever, nausea,
headache and abnormal liver function tests. Severe and
life-threatening skin reactions and hepatotoxicity, including fatal
cases of each, have occurred in patients treated with VIRAMUNE.
VIRAMUNE is a product of original research done at Boehringer
Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a member of the Boehringer Ingelheim
group of companies. VIRAMUNE is marketed world-wide by Boehringer
Ingelheim and in the United States by Roxane Laboratories, also a
member of the Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies.
ots Original Text Service: Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH
Internet: http://recherche.newsaktuell.de

Contact:

Judith von Gordon, Corporate Public Relations Division of
Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, +49-6132-773582, or fax, +49-6132-776601,
gordon@ing.boehringer-ingelheim.com, or Pam DeMala of Boehringer
Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. USA, 203-798-4700; or Maureen Byrne,
212-886-3312, or Denise Conolly, 212-886-3117, both of GCI
Healthcare, for Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH
Web site: http://us.boehringer-ingelheim.com

Original-Content von: Boehringer Ingelheim, übermittelt durch news aktuell

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