Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation has recently announced funding of more than $1.17 million, focused on Hepatitis C prevention and education and the mitigation of the disease in India, China, and Taiwan. The funding is part of Delivering Hope, an umbrella programme for Bristol-Myers Squibb's efforts in the areas of Hepatitis awareness, prevention and care.
One of the recipients of the funding is The Liver Foundation (India), which will conduct a survey of the impact of liver disease and Hepatitis C and utilise the findings to inform public health policy and foster prevention and awareness activities in at risk populations. Another recipient The National Liver Foundation (India) will focus on improvement of Hepatitis C screening, including the addition of more sensitive tests, and will create education and awareness programes for local communities. Another recipient The Liver Disease Prevention and Treatment Research Foundation (Taiwan) will create a training programme for patients and community-based healthcare providers in detection, care, and management of patients and provide access to treatment in remote areas.
Other recipients are The Hepatobiliary Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital (Taiwan) and The Shanghai Charity Foundation (China). "The programmes these organisations propose exemplify our Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation mission of addressing health disparities in communities where the need is greatest," said John Damonti, President, Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. "Through these programmes, we anticipate significant improvement in our understanding of how to best address the Hepatitis C health challenges in China, India, and Taiwan. We envision key learnings from these programmes will be applied in other countries."
The funding recipients will prepare a report at the completion of their projects. "These reports will be shared with the Hepatitis C community to enhance the body of knowledge on Hepatitis prevention, care, and support," added Damonti.
