Bristol-Myers Squibb Awards $1.7 Million for Hepatitis Awareness, Patient Empowerment
Bristol-Myers Squibb Awards $1.7 Million for Hepatitis Awareness, Patient Empowerment
To mark World Hepatitis Day on July 28, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation has announced four grants totaling nearly $1.7 million to improve the prevention of hepatitis B and hepatitis C in China and India.
Grants awarded through the foundation's Delivering Hope program include $401,687 over three years to the China Foundation for Hepatitis Prevention and Control to create a hepatitis B and C patient empowerment model that enhances patients' ability to manage their disease; $355,694 over three years to the HOPE Initiative in India to create a hepatitis C patient support network; $539,035 to the Liver Foundation West Bengal to develop comprehensive interventions for hepatitis B or C patients who have co-morbid non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and fatty liver disease; and $389,464 over two years to United Way of Mumbai, the National Liver Foundation, and
AmeriCares India
to prevent hepatitis B and C in pregnant women and women of childbearing age.
"The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation has been working with partners in Asia for the past ten years, helping mobilize communities to improve the prevention, care and support of hepatitis B and C," said Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation president John Damonti. "Over the past decade, our focus has evolved from building infrastructure and educating lay healthcare workers to empowering patients to advocate for improved education, support, and services. This evolution is an important signal that, together with our partners in the nonprofit and government sectors, we are making important progress in helping to address the needs of people living with hepatitis B and C in communities that are disproportionately impacted by these diseases."
In addition, pharmaceutical giant Merck has announced that it will partner with the
World Hepatitis Alliance
to support public education, awareness, and policy initiatives designed to fight stigma and discrimination against hepatitis sufferers, as well as implement, in partnership with the World Health Organization, a global viral hepatitis strategy.
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