Women's cancer initiative launched in Africa and Latin America
A group of government, public and private partners led by the George W. Bush Institute launched the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon (PRRR) initiative to expand the availability of cervical cancer screening and treatment and promote breast cancer education in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. With initial funding of $75 million over five years, the initiative is seeking to reduce cervical cancer deaths by about 25% among women screened and treated through the initiative and significantly increase access to breast and cervical cancer prevention, screening and treatment.
Industry partners include Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK), which will provide $3 million over the next three years; and GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE:GSK; NYSE:GSK), which committed $1 million of its Cervarix cervical cancer vaccine and $50,000 to support program operations. Qiagen N.V. (Xetra:QIA; NASDAQ:QGEN) also said it will contribute test kits, training, and support services, including a donation of 300,000 of its careHPV Tests. The initiative also has commitments from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE:BMY), Becton Dickinson and Co. (NYSE:BDX), Caris Foundation (Irving, TX) and IBM (NYSE: IBM). ...