Global HOPE, Teva and Direct Relief Partner to Bring Medicines to Help Improve the Lives of Children with Cancer in Africa
International Childhood Cancer Day Announcement
Global HOPE (Hematology-Oncology Pediatric Excellence), a program of Texas Children’s Hospital, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Direct Relief announced today a donation partnership that will provide access to medications in sub-Saharan Africa—where an overwhelming majority of pediatric cancer and hematology patients do not survive.
International Childhood Cancer Day Announcement
PARSIPPANY, N.J. & TEL AVIV — Friday, Feb. 14 — Global HOPE (Hematology-Oncology Pediatric Excellence), a program of Texas Children’s Hospital, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Direct Relief announced today a donation partnership that will provide access to medications in sub-Saharan Africa—where an overwhelming majority of pediatric cancer and hematology patients do not survive.
Under this partnership, Global HOPE will determine the specific volumes and quantities of medications identified for current patient needs at its clinical sites. Teva will provide essential medications for treating cancer and blood disorders in children to Direct Relief, who will in turn ensure the efficient shipping and delivery of the donated medicines in coordination with Global HOPE facilities.
“The success we’ve had in radically changing the course of pediatric cancer and hematology in sub-Saharan Africa is due in large part to our partners and donors who have made our work possible,” said Dr. David Poplack, Director of Global HOPE. “By partnering with a global leader in generic and specialty medicines like Teva along with Direct Relief’s experience in cold chain logistics, we can have an immediate and sustained impact in low- and middle-income countries where increased access to pediatric oncology treatments is desperately needed.”
Teva will initially support the Global HOPE program in Malawi, with the potential to extend access of donated medicines to other Global HOPE sites across sub-Saharan Africa. Teva’s donation of medicines through this partnership will support the treatment plans for almost 95% of all chemotherapy patients. Over the next five years, Global HOPE anticipates diagnosing and treating close to 4,000 new pediatric cancer patients in Malawi.
“This initiative with Global HOPE and Direct Relief can bring medicines to thousands of children with cancer and blood disorders in African countries,” said Amalia Adler-Waxman, VP Social Impact and Responsibility at Teva. “Supporting this critical supply chain along with our partners allows us to facilitate access to pediatric oncology treatments while laying the groundwork for Global HOPE and others to also potentially treat pediatric illnesses beyond cancer and hematologic disorders.”
As an organization with decades of global supply chain and logistics expertise, Direct Relief will play a leading role in the distribution of donated prescriptions product from Teva. Direct Relief’s shipments of donated medicines from Teva will be shipped to one of the designated local Global HOPE-affiliated NGOs in Malawi, Botswana and Uganda.
“Direct Relief is deeply appreciative to Teva and Global HOPE for their leadership and initiative in providing critical treatments to children in Africa and globally,” said Thomas Tighe, President and CEO of Direct Relief. “Thanks to this collaboration, children who would otherwise be unable to access cancer therapies will be able to receive the treatments they need.”
The partnership was announced for International Childhood Cancer Day. International Childhood Cancer Day is a global collaborative campaign to raise awareness and promote an increased appreciation and deeper understanding of the challenges faced by children and adolescents with cancer, the survivors and their families.
About Direct Relief
A humanitarian organization committed to improving the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies, Direct Relief delivers lifesaving medical resources throughout the world to communities in need—without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay. For more information, please visit https://www.DirectRelief.org.
About Global HOPE
Global HOPE (Hematology-Oncology Pediatric Excellence) is focused on building long term capacity to treat and dramatically improve the prognosis for children with cancer and blood disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa. Launched in 2017, as a program of Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine and, supported by a $50 million foundational investment from Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, Global HOPE is strengthening local healthcare infrastructure and building capacity to effectively provide the multi-disciplinary care that is needed to optimally care for children with cancer and blood disorders. Work is already underway in Uganda, Malawi, and Botswana where, since its inception, Global HOPE has treated over 8,000 hematology and oncology patients with remarkable success and trained over 1,800 healthcare professionals. Other African nations, including Eswatini, Lesotho, Rwanda and Tanzania, are in the plans for expansion.
About Teva
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) has been developing and producing medicines to improve people’s lives for more than a century. We are a global leader in generic and specialty medicines with a portfolio consisting of over 3,500 products in nearly every therapeutic area. Around 200 million people around the world take a Teva medicine every day and are served by one of the largest and most complex supply chains in the pharmaceutical industry. Along with our established presence in generics, we have significant innovative research and operations supporting our growing portfolio of specialty and biopharmaceutical products. Learn more at www.tevapharm.com.
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For Media Inquiries, please contact:
- Jenna Stoklosa at Red Havas; +1 (203) 300 – 4108
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