In recognition of the World Federation of Hemophilia's (WFH) progress in improving the diagnosis and treatment of hemophilia in developing countries through its Global Alliance for Progress (GAP) program, CSL Behring has committed to donating to WFH two (2) million units of factor VIII concentrate (FVIII) each year for the next three (3) years. The donation, the total value of which will be approximately $2 million, will be made using coagulation factor concentrate with a minimum shelf-life of one year.
"As a long-standing contributor to GAP, CSL Behring applauds WFH's critically important efforts in bringing about improvements and change in the delivery of healthcare services and medicines to hemophilia patients in areas of the world where the need is greatest," said Peter Turner, President and Chief Executive Officer of CSL Behring. "Serving patients with rare bleeding disorders is a core focus for CSL Behring, as well, and we are extremely pleased to offer our support to GAP, a program that is truly making a large and positive difference."
"The WFH relies on product donations to help introduce clotting factor concentrates in developing countries and these donations serve as a catalyst for improving care," said Claudia Black, Chief Executive Officer of the WFH. "This is our first multi-year agreement and it will enable us to better plan distribution of products, leading to the creation of sustainable national hemophilia care programs that are a vital part of the public health care system. We are grateful to our industry partners such as CSL Behring, who provide, among other resources, valuable and life-saving medicine, including this most recent donation of coagulation factor. We are very pleased to announce it on World Hemophilia Day 2009."
Factor VIII is an essential blood clotting factor. FVIII is concentrated from donated blood or is manufactured using recombinant technology, and can be given to hemophiliacs to restore hemostatis.
About the Global Alliance for Progress
The Global Alliance for Progress (GAP) is a 10-year healthcare development project, launched in April 2003. GAP's goal is to greatly increase the diagnosis and treatment of people with hemophilia and other bleeding disorders in developing countries.
The project aims to close the gap between the number of people born with hemophilia and those who reach adulthood, the gap between the estimated and actual number of people diagnosed with bleeding disorders, and the gap between the amount of treatment product needed versus what is available.
GAP partners include CSL Behring, Baxter, Bayer, Biotest, the Irish Hemophilia Society, the Jan Willem André de la Porte Family Foundation, Talecris, the World Health Organization (WHO), and Wyeth.
Fifteen countries have participated in GAP: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Ecuador, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Syria, Thailand, and Tunisia. A GAP project in China has just been launched.
About the World Federation of Hemophilia
The World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) is an international not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with hemophilia and related bleeding disorders.
Since it was established in 1963, the WFH has grown into a truly global network with member organizations in more than 113 countries and official recognition from the World Health Organization. We work in partnership with healthcare professionals and people with hemophilia, governments and regulators, industry and foundations, to improve hemophilia care throughout the world. For more information, visit www.wfh.org.
About CSL Behring
CSL Behring is a global leader in the plasma protein biotherapeutics industry. Passionate about improving the quality of patients' lives, CSL Behring manufactures and markets a range of safe and effective plasma-derived and recombinant products and related services. The company's therapies are used in the treatment of immune deficiency disorders, hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, other bleeding disorders and inherited emphysema. Other products are used for the prevention of hemolytic diseases in the newborn, in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation and in the treatment of burns. The company also operates one of the world's largest plasma collection networks, ZLB Plasma. CSL Behring is a subsidiary of CSL Limited, a biopharmaceutical company
Contacts:
World Federation of Hemophilia
Sarah Ford, Communications Manager
514-394-2822
sford@wfh.org
CSL Behring
Sheila A. Burke, Director, Public Relations
610-878-4209
Sheila.Burke@cslbehring.com