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Boehringer Ingelheim today welcomed the announcement that the Government of Gabon will accept its offer to supply Viramune, a drug which can prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child during birth, free of charge.

At the same time the Government of Gabon agreed to participate in an initiative with the pharmaceutical industry and five UN agencies to supply HIV/AIDS medicines at considerably reduced prices.

Gabon is the eighth African country to announce participation in the Accelerating Access Initiative (AAI) under which five research-based pharmaceutical companies (Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Roche and Bristol-Myers Squibb) supply HIV/AIDS drugs for chronic therapy at considerably reduced prices to developing countries.

Prof. Rolf Krebs, chairman of the Board of Managing Directors at Boehringer Ingelheim, said:

‘The Accelerating Access Initiative is based on a joint vision. The vision is that if we all cooperate, we can overcome this deadly pandemic worldwide.
The research-driven pharmaceutical industry is involved in important initiatives in the developing world which provide essential medicines to millions of affected people. The industry provides drugs as well as expertise in managing such complex projects. But we all know that there is still no cure to AIDS, only a suppression of the virus. The industry will continue to fight for better medicines which in the end may cure the disease.’

Other African countries that have joined the Initiative include Uganda, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Cameroon, Mali and Burundi. The Initiative is also supported by WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, the UNFPA and UNAIDS.

Boehringer Ingelheim is offering its AIDS drug Viramune (nevirapine) free of charge to all developing countries for a period of five years. Nevirapine can prevent the transmission of HIV from mother-to-child during birth. The Boehringer Ingelheim Viramune Mother-to-Child-Transmission (MTCT) Donation Programme was announced in July 2000. Since then drugs have been delivered to the Congo (Brazzaville) and Senegal. Rwanda will be the next country to receive shipments. Consultations continue with more than 20 governments and organisations.

Notes to the Editor:

According to a paper in The Lancet (Vol 354 September 4 1999) nevirapine is the most cost-effective, efficacious and most easily administered drug available at present for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission and gives hope for a new generation to be born HIV-free. Treatment with nevirapine involves one tablet being given to the mother and a few drops of suspension to the new-born baby. Nevirapine is indicated for use in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infection.

Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the top 20 leading pharmaceutical companies in the world. Our headquarters are in Ingelheim, Germany and we have 140 affiliated companies worldwide. In 2000 our revenue exceeded EUR 6 billion.

We specialise in human pharmaceuticals and animal health. The human pharmaceuticals business, which accounts for 95% of sales, produces prescription medicines and consumer healthcare products for patients worldwide and chemicals and biopharmaceuticals for industrial customers.

Boehringer Ingelheim has an ongoing programme of research and development. In 2000 we invested almost EUR 1.0 billion in the research and development of new products. We have a particular interest in the fields of respiratory and cardio-vascular care, HIV and animal health and are constantly striving for innovative treatments that will improve quality of care.

For further information please contact: Emma Stafford on 01344 741336 or visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.com

This news story was brought to you by Boehringer Ingelheim - the largest family-owned pharmaceutical company in the world.

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