The World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) welcomes Bayer to the WFH Humanitarian Aid Program
MONTREAL, May 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The WFH Humanitarian Aid Program aims to improve the lack of access to care and treatment for people with inherited bleeding disorders in developing countries, and is a critically important endeavour for the bleeding disorders community. Today, the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) and WFH USA are proud to announce that Bayer has joined the WFH Humanitarian Aid Program.
The commitment of Bayer consists of a five-year partnership starting in 2019 that will contribute additional Factor VIII treatments to as many as 5,000 more people living with hemophilia A in over 60 countries where the WFH Humanitarian Aid Program is working to help people with little to no access to care. In 2019, Bayer has committed to donating 50 million IUs of treatment through the WFH Humanitarian Aid Program. The company will also provide financial assistance in order to support the training and education of healthcare professionals on the accurate and safe administration of treatments.
"The WFH Humanitarian Aid Program helps fulfill an urgent and important public health challenge and its efforts would not be possible without the support of companies such as Bayer," said Alain Weill, President, World Federation of Hemophilia. "Today's announcement serves as an example of how partnerships enable us to continue providing access to treatment for those in need, regardless of where they live."
For many people with hemophilia around the world, access to care and treatment can be a considerable daily challenge. Through the expanded WFH Humanitarian Aid Program, increased multi-year donations now mean it is possible for people with bleeding disorders in the developing world to have continued access to treatment for emergency situations, acute bleeds, corrective surgeries, and also prophylaxis for young children.
In 2018 alone, over 18,400 patients received treatment through the WFH Humanitarian Aid Program. This exceeds the total number of patients receiving treatment through the program from 1996 to 2016. Significant outcomes occurred during the past year: 1,546 people have been put on prophylactic treatment since the start of the expansion of the program; over 58,458 acute bleeds were treated last year; and more than 685 surgeries were completed in 2018.
"The WFH is a leader in addressing the global unmet need of those living with hemophilia and we are proud to be supporting this initiative, which we hope will make a significant difference to those who need the most help," said Michael Devoy, M.D., Head of Medical Affairs & Pharmacovigilance of Bayer's Pharmaceuticals Division and Bayer Chief Medical Officer.
About hemophilia and other bleeding disorders
Hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, inherited platelet disorders, and other factor deficiencies are lifelong bleeding disorders that prevent blood from clotting properly. People with bleeding disorders do not have enough of a particular clotting factor, a protein in blood that controls bleeding, or else it does not work properly. The severity of a person's bleeding disorder usually depends on the amount of clotting factor that is missing or not functioning. People with hemophilia can experience uncontrolled bleeding that can result from a seemingly minor injury. Bleeding into joints and muscles causes severe pain and disability while bleeding into major organs, such as the brain, can cause death.
About the WFH Humanitarian Aid Program
The expanded WFH Humanitarian Aid Program improves the lack of access to care and treatment by providing much-needed support for people with inherited bleeding disorders in developing countries. By providing patients with a more predictable and sustainable flow of humanitarian aid donations, the WFH Humanitarian Aid Program makes it possible for patients to receive consistent and reliable access to treatment and care. None of this would be possible without the generous support of Sanofi Genzyme and Sobi, our Visionary Contributors; Grifols, CSL Behring, GC Pharma, our Corporate partners; and Roche and Bayer, our newest donors.
To learn more about the WFH Humanitarian Aid Program, visit www.treatmentforall.org
About the World Federation of Hemophilia
For over 50 years, the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH)—an international not-for-profit organization—has worked to improve the lives of people with hemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders. Established in 1963, it is a global network of patient organizations in 140 countries and has official recognition from the World Health Organization. To find out more about the WFH, visit www.wfh.org.
Charitable solicitations for the common purposes of WFH and WFH USA within the U.S. are conducted through WFH USA, a 501(c)3 affiliated entity.
For further information: Media contact: Neha Suchak, Director, Marketing & Communications, nsuchak@wfh.org Tel.: +1 514-875-7944, #2857
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