Company gives more than 1 million units of VWD medication via WFH’s Global Alliance for Progress program as part of its 3-year commitment to the organization
King of Prussia, PA – 18 July 2011
CSL Behring has donated more than 1 million international units (IU) of von Willebrand factor (VWF)/Factor VIII (FVIII) replacement medication to patients through the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH). The donation supports WFH’s progress in improving the diagnosis and treatment of bleeding disorders in developing countries through its Global Alliance for Progress (GAP) program. It is part of the commitment CSL Behring has made to WFH to donate two million IUs of FVIII each year for three years. Today’s donation is commercially valued at $1.3 million.
CSL Behring, as a member of the CSL Group, is committed to contributing to the economic, social and environmental well-being of its communities.
“CSL Behring is pleased and proud to support the World Federation of Hemophilia as a long-standing contributor to GAP,” said Paul Perreault, President of CSL Behring. “WFH is committed to improving the lives of patients with bleeding disorders like von Willebrand disease (VWD) in areas of the world where the needs are greatest. Their mission aligns closely with that of CSL Behring, as we also focus on the unmet needs of patients with rare and serious bleeding disorders and constantly seek to make meaningful differences in their lives and their communities.”
VWD is caused by a deficiency or abnormality of VWF, a protein in the blood that is necessary for normal blood clotting. Factor VIII replacement medication works by replacing the VWF/FVIII complex that is deficient or defective in patients with VWD. The concentrate is purified from pooled human plasma from many carefully screened plasma donors and contains the clotting proteins VWF and FVIII.
“Generous donations like these made by CSL Behring serve as a catalyst for improving the overall care of people with bleeding disorders. The WFH relies on these donations to help fulfill our commitment to introduce clotting factor concentrates in developing countries where it might not otherwise be available,” said Mark Skinner, President of the WFH. “We are grateful to all our industry partners who provide, among other resources, valuable and life-saving medicine such as CSL Behring’s donation for the treatment of VWD.”
About the Global Alliance for Progress
The Global Alliance for Progress (GAP) is a 10-year healthcare development project, launched in 2003. GAP’s goal is to greatly increase the diagnosis and treatment of people with hemophilia and other bleeding disorders in developing countries.
The program aims to close the gap between the number of people born with hemophilia and those who reach adulthood, the gap between the estimated and actual number of people diagnosed with bleeding disorders, and the gap between the volume of treatment product needed versus what is available.
GAP partners include CSL Behring, Baxter, Bayer, Biotest, the Irish Hemophilia Society, the Jan Willem André de la Porte Family Foundation, Pfizer, Talecris, and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Sixteen countries have participated in GAP: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Ecuador, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Syria, Thailand, and Tunisia. A GAP project in Peru has just been launched.
About the World Federation of Hemophilia
The World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) is an international not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with hemophilia and related bleeding disorders. Since it was established in 1963, the WFH has grown into a truly global network with member organizations in 113 countries and official recognition from the World Health Organization. WFH works in partnership with healthcare professionals and people with hemophilia, governments and regulators, industry and foundations, to improve hemophilia care throughout the world. For more information, visit www.wfh.org.
About CSL Behring
CSL Behring is a leader in the plasma protein therapeutics industry. Committed to saving lives and improving the quality of life for people with rare and serious diseases, the company manufactures and markets a range of plasma-derived and recombinant therapies worldwide. CSL Behring therapies are indicated for the treatment of coagulation disorders including hemophilia and von Willebrand disease, primary immune deficiencies, hereditary angioedema and inherited respiratory disease. The company’s products are also used in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation, burn treatment and to prevent hemolytic diseases in newborns. CSL Behring operates one of the world’s largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. CSL Behring is a subsidiary of CSL Limited (ASX: CSL), a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. For more information, visit www.cslbehring.com.
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Contact:
Sheila A. Burke, Director, Communications & Public Relations
Worldwide Commercial Operations
CSL Behring
C: 484-919-2618
O: 610-878-4209
Sheila.Burke@cslbehring.com
