Boehringer Ingelheim hires Axios to expand access to the VIRAMUNE® Donation Programme

06  September 2001

Ingelheim, Germany, 6 September, 2001 - Boehringer Ingelheim announced today that the company has hired Axios International to facilitate the implementation of the VIRAMUNE® Donation Program for the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (MTCT) of HIV-1 in developing countries.

In July 2000 Boehringer Ingelheim announced the company’s commitment to supply its anti-AIDS drug, VIRAMUNE® (nevirapine), free of charge for five years to developing countries for use in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV during labour and delivery. The WHO estimates that since the beginning of the AIDS pandemic, more than 5 million children world-wide have been born HIV-infected, the majority in sub-Saharan Africa. VIRAMUNE® for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission is included on the WHO Essential Drugs List.

“In the first few months following the announcement of the VIRAMUNE® Donation Program, we received very few requests to participate. Recently, however, we have been receiving more and more requests from countries, NGOs, and individual hospitals." said Prof. Rolf Krebs, chairman of the Board of Managing Directors of Boehringer Ingelheim. “The increase in requests is what we had hoped for. Axios will assist us to organise and implement the extended programme, to keep bureaucracy to a minimum, and to speed up the process from first request to supply of VIRAMUNE® free of charge in this indication."

Boehringer Ingelheim has contracted Axios to provide technical assistance to support the implementation of the VIRAMUNE® Donation Programme, including the process by which interested governments, NGOs, charitable organisations and health care providers in the developing world can apply to participate in the Programme. Axios has also developed and will maintain a website (www.viramune-donation-program.org) that will greatly facilitate the application process, as well as provide readily available information about the status of the Programme.

“We will not spare any effort to facilitate access to VIRAMUNE® for HIV-infected pregnant women and their babies in developing countries” said Dr Joseph Saba, Axios Chief Executive Officer. “Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (MTCT) has been an international priority for few years. However, building solid public health programs and reaching communities with appropriate interventions takes time. The generous donation of VIRAMUNE® from Boehringer Ingelheim is accelerating the response and making prevention of MTCT a national priority in developing countries.”

First supply of VIRAMUNE for the prevention of MTCT took place in the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) in October 2000. Since then a number of deliveries to a variety of additional countries have been made, including Senegal, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Uganda.

About Boehringer Ingelheim
The Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies, headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, is one of the 20 leading pharmaceutical corporations in the world. It has some 140 affiliated companies worldwide and focuses on human pharmaceuticals and animal health. The human pharmaceuticals business, which accounts for 95% of sales, is comprised of prescription medicines, consumer health care products and chemicals and biopharmaceuticals for industrial customers . Research and development, production, and distribution facilities are located around the globe. In 2000, Boehringer Ingelheim spent almost EUR 1.0 billion on R&D, equivalent to 16% of net sales.

About Axios
Axios is an international company providing consultancy services and program implementation in healthcare in developing countries. Axios has extensive worldwide experience in private and public sector partnerships, in public health implementation programs and in creating appropriate alliances at political and technical levels. The Axios group consists of a multidisciplinary team with distinctive areas of expertise that works closely with local counterparts. Axios implementation projects currently include programs on Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), Voluntary Counseling and Testing of HIV (VCT), Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (MTCT), management of donations and programs to increase access to HIV-related drugs and care in developing countries.

For more information on Axios, please see the internet website www.axios-group.com.

Related links: Axios