http://www.nationalcancercoalition.org/index.php en webservices@etapestry.com Copyright 2010 2010-07-21T15:10:19+00:00 http://www.nationalcancercoalition.org/index.php/site/pfizer_ncc_assist_underserved_patients/ http://www.nationalcancercoalition.org/index.php/site/pfizer_ncc_assist_underserved_patients/#When:14:10:31Z The National Cancer Coalition (NCC) is a preferred non-governmental organization (NGO) partner of Pfizer, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company. Over the past years, NCC has Pfizer partners with the National Cancer Coalition to provide medicine access to underserved patients in the developing world.  Over the years, NCC and Pfizer have collaborated to provide significant donations in which thousands of patients with serious diseases like cancer, hemophilia, depression and other illnesses have received the therapies that they require for good health.  One example is the donation of over 24 million international units of ReFacto® Antihemophilic Factor (Recombinant), a therapy used for the treatment and prevention of bleeding in individuals with hemophilia A.  Along with Pfizer’s BeneFIX therapy for Hemophilia B type patients, these donations have helped hundreds of boys and young men in the developing world with these rare genetic diseases, who would have had limited or no access to these required life-saving treatments.  “Pfizer is dedicated to developing and delivering innovative hemophilia therapies and we are proud of our partnership with the National Cancer Coalition, which is helping to distribute Pfizer-donated factor product to patients in the global hemophilia community,” says Jean-Michel Halfon, President and General Manager, Emerging Markets, Pfizer. “We are committed to working with partner organizations like NCC to provide access to hemophilia medicines to patients who need them most.” NCC, a non-governmental organization (NGO), is a preferred partner of Pfizer.  NCC has a unique network, capabilities, and relationships with hundreds of developing-world physicians and public medical facilities to be able to implement this type of specialty medicine donation initiative.  ReFacto® requires refrigeration and special logistics and handling to be able to be properly shipped overseas and then handled once it is received in the developing world.  NCC works closely with our overseas partner hospitals to ensure that our donations of specialty pharmaceuticals are properly stored and remain efficacious. The value of these life-saving donation is tremendous, as they provide vital hope and healing for many hundreds of hemophilia patients in the developing world in countries such as: Belize, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Moldova, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, the Philippines, and Tanzania.  In addition to the hemophilia program, the National Cancer Coalition and Pfizer have collaborated together in programs to provide access to cancer, antibiotics, arthritis, and depression.  In the past few years, Pfizer has generously donated over $50 million worth of chronic disease and specialty medicines to NCC to assist underserved patients within the developing world. “Our organization is dedicated to providing the resources and tools needed in the treatment and prevention of cancer, hemophilia, depression, and other serious diseases and illnesses throughout the world,” says Robert Landry, President of the National Cancer Coalition.  “Product donations such as Pfizer’s are essential to addressing the needs of the patients and families that we serve globally.” Hemophilia is a rare, inherited blood-clotting disorder characterized by spontaneous hemorrhages or prolonged bleeding, typically into joints and soft tissue. People with hemophilia A are deficient in a key protein—factor VIII—that is vital in the clotting mechanism to prevent bleeding.  Patients with hemophilia A and hemophilia B are dependent on Factor VIII and Factor IX replacement therapy, respectively. 2010-07-19T14:10:31+00:00 http://www.nationalcancercoalition.org/index.php/site/merck_and_ncc_partner_in_developing_world/ http://www.nationalcancercoalition.org/index.php/site/merck_and_ncc_partner_in_developing_world/#When:14:03:57Z Merck & Co., in partnership with its Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) affliate, and the National Cancer Coalition collaborate on a number of targeted pharmaceuical donations to help proviMerck & Co., in partnership with its Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) affliate, and the National Cancer Coalition collaborate on a number of targeted pharmaceuical donations to help provide access to cancer-related therapies in Latin America.  These medicines, which have helped hundreds of patients, have included Merck’s brain cancer theapy Temodar and its adjunctive therapy Emend.  During the course of this on-going relationship, the developing world countries that have benefited from this partenrship include: the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Peru, Paraguay, and Uruguay.  Specific products provided included Temodar 20mg, 100mg, and 250mg capusles were provided and they are used to treat two spcecific types of brain cancers, which include glioblastoma multiforme and anaplastic astrocytoma.  In addition, significant quantities of Emend 80mg and Emend 125mg capsules, which are indicated for cancer patients experiencing nausea and vomiting from their required chemotherapy regime, were provided to cancer hospitals in many of the above countries. To recognize these important donations, a number of hand-over ceremonies were held in which both NCC and Merck / MSD representatives participated, along with local dignitaries, hospital administration, medical personnel, and benefiting patients.  During a hand-over in Montevideo, Uruguay, the United States Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires Ms. Robin Matthewman participated in that hand-over event and stated, “This is a prime example of American NGOs and corporations collaborating to help the public hospitals in this country.  This demonstration of partnership and generosity provides hope and improved treatment outcomes for underserved Uruguayan patients.”  Also present at the official functions was the Minister of Health Dr. María Julia Muñoz, who thanked the National Cancer Coalition and Merck for their long-time support of underserved cancer patients in Uruguay. Merck Sharp & Dohme’s Latin America Region President, Mr. Tadeu Alves said, “Merck Sharp & Dohme, as a global research-driven pharmaceutical company, believes that it has an important responsibility in improving access to medicines, vaccines and quality health care worldwide.  Since 1958, we have been working through the Merck Medical Outreach Program in partnership with NGO’s like NCC to ensure that our products are accessible to patients worldwide.”  Over $3 million worth of Merck medicines and vaccines have been provided to NCC for its partner cancer hospitals and programs. Robert B. Landry, III, President of NCC commented, “National Cancer Coalition has been pleased to partner with Merck, a real leader in the pharmaceutical industry and the manufacturer of countless vital products that are required to fully combat and prevent cancers.  We are committed to providing high quality cancer and chronic disease therapies for patients who would otherwise go without and Merck has been a true partner in this effort.”  Mr. Landry made comments at an Asuncion hand-over ceremony to mark the Emend donation to the largest public cancer hospital in Paraguay, where event participants included the U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay Liliana Ayalde, Minister of Health Dr. Esperanza Martínez, and MSD Director for Public Policy for the Southern Cone region Raul Gatica. In addition to Merck’s Emend and Temodar donations to NCC, the Coalition has also been a part of a collaboration that provided donations of the Merck vaccine Gardasil to Dr. Daron Ferris’ CerviCusco clinic in Peru.  Independently, NCC is part of a group of organizations that are providing Gardasil to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova for a prevention program in that country.  Gardasil is a vaccine utilized to protect against HPV infections, which is the leading known cause of most cervical cancers. 2010-07-19T14:03:57+00:00 http://www.nationalcancercoalition.org/index.php/site/teva_supports_national_cancer_coalition_international_relief_program/ http://www.nationalcancercoalition.org/index.php/site/teva_supports_national_cancer_coalition_international_relief_program/#When:13:59:43Z TEVA Pharmaceuticals USA and the National Cancer Coalition have partnered for the past decade to assist underserved patients in gaining access to the medicines that they require. TEVA Pharmaceuticals USA and the National Cancer Coalition have partnered for the past decade to assist underserved patients in gaining access to the medicines that they require.  During this timeframe, NCC has received and then provided to our overseas partner hospitals over $75 million dollars worth of chemotherapy and adjunctive therapies from TEVA.  This generosity has enabled many thousands of patients to receive treatment for their cancers. In addition to is world class oral formulations of Rx medicines manufactured in Pennsylvania, the TEVA Injectables division, based in Irvine CA, is one of the largest and most sophisticated manufacturers of a vast line of cancer injectable medicines which are used to treat many types of cancer, which include breast cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, solid tumors, and many others.  For the past decade, NCC has been a preferred partner of TEVA and regularly receives donations of its high quality cancer, specialty and essential medicines.  This important partnership has allowed treatment opportunities for countless cancer patients in the developing world, enabling over 300,000 patient months of cancer therapy to individual patients in need.  TEVA is the largest generic pharmaceutical company in the world and it ranks in the Top 20 globally; it also manufactures a whole range of chronic disease and essential medicines in which they partner with NCC to provide these to our partners in the developing world. NCC President Robert B. Landry stated, “TEVA is an exceptional company that manufactures a broad portfolio of high quality products for cancer and other serious illnesses.  The National Cancer Coalition is proud to be a preferred NGO partner of TEVA and this partnership has allowed the overseas public cancer hospitals that we assist in the developing world access to first class cancer therapies.”  Landry added, “Utilizing NCC’s vast overseas network, the TEVA medicines have enabled countless patients to receive treatment for their cancer and to have the opportunity for survival.” 2010-07-19T13:59:43+00:00 http://www.nationalcancercoalition.org/index.php/site/hospira_awards_25000_grant_to_national_cancer_coalition/ http://www.nationalcancercoalition.org/index.php/site/hospira_awards_25000_grant_to_national_cancer_coalition/#When:13:47:57Z The National Cancer Coalition (NCC) is pleased to announce that it recently received a $25,000 grant award from the Hospira Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Hospira, Inc., to sThe National Cancer Coalition (NCC) is pleased to announce that it recently received a $25,000 grant award from the Hospira Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Hospira, Inc., to support its pharmaceutical relief program within the Dominican Republic. NCC is seeking to significantly increase the levels of medical resources that it provides to the public hospitals of the Dominican Republic in an effort to more fully treat the country’s underserved patients, and this grant will contribute toward achieving that goal. “Hospira is dedicated to advancing wellness, and the National Cancer Coalition’s medical relief programs provide access to much-needed medicines and technologies for patients who would otherwise go without. We are especially proud to assist communities in which our employees work and live, and we have a strong, dedicated workforce in the Dominican Republic,” said Stacey T. Eisen, vice president, Global Public Affairs, and vice president, Hospira Foundation. Robert B. Landry, III, President of NCC commented, “The National Cancer Coalition is thrilled to receive this financial support from the Hospira Foundation.” He added, “We are especially pleased with our working relationship with Hospira, a global manufacturer of specialty injectable pharmaceuticals and medical products, over the past few years and the impact realized for underserved patients with cancer and other life-threatening diseases.”  NCC, a non-governmental organization (NGO), has provided the Dominican Republic with requested medicines valued at over $100 million during the past 10 years. Hospira’s donations of the colorectal cancer medicine irinotecan HCI have allowed NCC to provide access to this important drug to public hospitals that assist the underserved in the developing world.  The benefiting public hospitals that have received this cancer medicine were located in: Ghana, Tanzania, Moldova, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, and the Philippines.  These donations have provided hundreds of poor cancer patients with access to this vital chemotherapy. 2010-07-19T13:47:57+00:00 http://www.nationalcancercoalition.org/index.php/site/genzyme_partners_with_ncc_to_combat_rare_diseases/ http://www.nationalcancercoalition.org/index.php/site/genzyme_partners_with_ncc_to_combat_rare_diseases/#When:12:22:44Z Genzyme Corporation and the National Cancer Coalition have a rich history of collaboration to provide underserved patients in the developing world patients with access to modern biGenzyme Corporation and the National Cancer Coalition have a rich history of collaboration to provide underserved patients in the developing world patients with access to modern biotechnology medicines to treat liposomal storage disorders (LSD) and other rare or genetic diseases.  Over the past 6 years, NCC and Genzyme has collaborated in over 20 projects and provided over $7.5 million worth of life-saving medicines. NCC and Genzyme are providing access to its life-saving bio-pharmaceutical products to numerous developing world countries, including: Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru and the Philippines.  The Genzyme medicines included in the individual donation projects consisted of Cerezyme, Myozyme, Aldurazyme, and Thymoglobulin.  These donations had a total U.S. average wholesale value of over $7,500,000.  Most importantly, many hundreds of patient months of therapy were provided to patients who otherwise would have gone without these vital medicines that they require for good health.  These vulnerable patients are now being assisted through our partnership.  This is heart of NCC’s mission and we are quite pleased to help patients with LDS and other rare diseases to survive. As is required with sensitive biological or refrigerated pharmaceuticals, NCC ensures the storage requirements of our donated medicines in our climate-controlled refrigeration facility within our New Orleans warehouse.  We then transport the medicines to the overseas recipient countries while maintaining the cold-chain throughout the shipping process and importantly ensuring that the medicines are placed into proper refrigeration storage at overseas customs and at the overseas recipient medical facilities that treat the underserved patients. One of the countries in South America with a relatively large number of Gaucher Disease patients is the tiny land-locked country of Paraguay.  In June 2010, NCC Senior Vice President of Healthcare Alliances Tom Roane visited Asuncion and met with the Centro Materno Infantil Hospital’s treating physician Dra. Isabel Mattio, as well as Paraguay’s Gaucher Disease Foundation President Raquel Colman and numerous young Gaucher Disease patients and their parents.  Roane commented, “It makes an impression to witness the restoration of life in these children whose spleen and livers had been so enlarged to dangerous levels.  We are proud of this program with Genzyme that is saving lives in Paraguay and many other countries of the developing world.” 2010-07-19T12:22:44+00:00