GlaxoSmithKline and The Carter Center Reaffirm Commitment to Global Public Health with Expansion of ...(or this reason we are increasing our man...),Health

A clear example of the company's long-term commitment, the Global Program to Eliminate LF relies on the donation of two drugs necessary for LF elimination - (albendazole and Mectizan(R), respectively) - from GlaxoSmithKline and Merck & Co., Inc. - in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO). The program's goals are two-fold: eliminate LF as a public health problem by 2020; and alleviate physical, social and economic hardship in individuals who have LF-induced disability.

Over the past decade the program, supported by the Global Alliance to Eliminate LF, has become the most rapidly scaled-up drug administration program in public health history. It is on track to be the largest drug donation program ever supported by the pharmaceutical industry. This month the one-billionth albendazole tablet will be donated by GSK. Several countries have completed the 5-year administration program needed to achieve elimination, including Egypt and Sri Lanka; and data shows the program is on track to successfully eliminate the disease in those countries.

President Carter said, "We stand at the cusp of major breakthroughs in the elimination and eradication of a number of tropical diseases, notably lymphatic filariasis, Guinea worm disease and polio. None of these advances would be possible without the collaboration and commitment of both the public and private sectors. I applaud GlaxoSmithKline for its leadership in helping to shape the ways in which we address the challenges of diseases of the developing world, and I thank them for the past decade of partnership with The Carter Center." The Carter Center has assisted the Ministry of Health of Nigeria with providing over 22 million treatments for LF since 2000.

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