Bristol-Myers Squibb awards 3 new grants to enhance HBV and HCV prevention, diagnosis and care

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation has awarded three new grants to improve prevention, diagnosis and care of hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) in China and India as part of its Delivering Hope™: Awareness, Prevention and Care umbrella program which is committed to reducing hepatitis-related health disparities in Asia. China and India together have an estimated 123 million people chronically infected with HBV and 59 million people chronically infected with HCV, accounting for almost 50 percent of all HBV and HCV infections worldwide.

The grant recipients, which range in scope from national and regional government health, charitable non-profit and advocacy organizations, were announced at the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) 2012 Conference in Taipei, Taiwan, where leaders in the hepatology field gathered to promote scientific advancement and education in the Asia Pacific region. Organizations and projects receiving support include:

• The Chinese Foundation for Hepatitis Prevention and Control (CFHPC), working in partnership with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Shanxi Center for Disease Control, will enhance HCV prevention, diagnosis, support and care through training of physicians and health providers at various levels, as well as patient and community outreach in the Shanxi Province.
• The Shanghai Charity Foundation (China) will create a first of its kind program targeting high risk groups with disease management initiatives for HCV and HBV in Shanghai. This will include vaccinations, screenings and behavior change programs to strengthen prevention efforts.
• The Liver Foundation, West Bengal (India) will establish and maintain an advocacy platform focused on empowerment of hepatitis patients, ensuring knowledge and awareness of their disease, rights and privileges, as well as access to care.

"The benefit of these organizations and programs lies in their ability to empower people in local communities with knowledge about prevention, diagnosis and care of hepatitis C and hepatitis B," said John Damonti, president, Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. "Through Delivering Hope, The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation continues to harness expertise and resources in community-based programs, and leverage those best practices to help others."

The mission of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation is to help reduce health disparities in communities where the need is greatest. Marking a decade of support, Delivering Hope has invested and initiated 38 program grants across Asia totaling more than $9.7 million USD, specifically 16 grants in mainland China, three in Taiwan, 15 in India and four in Japan. In keeping with the Foundation's commitment to sharing lessons learned, funding recipients participated in a two-day conference to discuss tracking and reporting outcomes, impact and best practices. These reports will be shared with the HBV and HCV community to enhance the body of knowledge on hepatitis prevention, care and support.