Media Release
Basel, 30 December 2004
Roche
support for victims of the tsunami disaster in Asia
Donation of antibacterial and antibiotic
medicines
Roche has decided to donate antibacterial and antibiotic
medicines for – depending upon usage – up to 80,000 patients affected by the tsunami disaster.
The
donation comes in addition to the immediate medical and financial support given by the local Roche affiliates
in these countries. The decision is based on a careful assessment of the medical needs and logistic
hurdles by the local Roche affiliates in close contact with their local authorities and locally active
aid organisations.
As a first reaction, Roche reserved yesterday all
available stocks of Bactrim (sulfamethoxazole plus trimethoprim) and Rocephin (ceftriaxone) at the Headquarters
in Basel to support emergency healthcare delivery in the affected countries in Asia. A total of 220,000
packs are being donated. The medicines are being made available to an international aid organisation.
This globally active organisation will co-ordinate the delivery in the affected countries and will ensure
a responsible usage of the donation.
About Roche
Headquartered
in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world’s leading research-intensive healthcare groups. Its
core businesses are pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As a supplier of innovative products and services
for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts
to improving people’s health and quality of life. Roche is a world leader in Diagnostics, the leading
supplier of medicines for cancer and transplantation and a market leader in virology.
Roche
concentrates its humanitarian aid efforts on developing and maintaining sustainable healthcare delivery
for needy people in the poorest countries of the world - medical care which takes account of local needs
and infrastructure and equips communities over the long term to prevent diseases, instead of having
to cure them. Roche is prepared to contribute by providing medical know-how and, where appropriate,
its own products and services, as long as the local authorities and any other partners are actively
committed to making the essential infrastructure available.
For
further information:
- Roche’s social commitment: www.roche.com/sus_soc_coop.htm