Philippines typhoon: pharma response
pharmafile | November 14, 2013 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Medical Communications, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Philippines typhoon, pharma
Staff from pharma companies on the ground in the Philippines appear to have escaped the worst following the typhoon which has left parts of the archipelago devastated, thousands dead and many more displaced.
A number of manufacturers are responding with financial aid and shipments of drugs and other health-related items for victims of typhoon Haiyan, which battered the country last week with winds of more than 200mph and storm surges which washed away homes.
Part of the problem is what Medecins Sans Frontieres has called ‘a logistical nightmare’ as roads are either impassable or have been destroyed completely, thus getting relief supplies from airports is proving very difficult.
Abbott is donating up to $100,000 of products such as antibiotics, oral rehydration solutions and nutritionals to its partners Direct Relief and AmeriCares.
Meanwhile its philanthropic organisation, the Abbott Fund, is providing $350,000 in grants to CARE, Direct Relief and the Philippine Red Cross through the American Red Cross.
The company’s main local office is in the capital Manila, and has around 700 employees in the Philippines working in distribution and marketing.
Katherine Pickus, vice president of the Abbott Fund said the organisations were “providing this support to help advance immediate relief efforts and address the growing health crisis among those impacted by the storm”.
A statement from Johnson & Johnson said: “We are relieved and grateful to know that all of our employees are safe, but heartbroken that so many people in the region have lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods.”
Through Direct Relief International, AmeriCares and Heart to Heart International, the group is moving ‘pre-positioned’ disaster relief such as medical supplies, hygiene kits and personal care products to the people of the Philippines.
“As the recovery begins, we will work together with our partners to determine next steps and mobilise the best possible support for the millions of people impacted by the storm,” the company concluded.
Other pharma firms are likewise working through aid agencies: Boehringer Ingelheim is donating €250,000 to the German Red Cross as emergency aid, and the company says its Philippine subsidiary “is supporting various aid organisations locally with monetary and medicine donations”.
“We want to make a contribution to helping the people affected by this terrible natural disaster and their families as quickly as possible,” explained the company’s chairman Andreas Barner.
Some pharma firms have not publicised their efforts, but it has been reported that GlaxoSmithKline’s local affiliate has given $25,000 to the Philippines Red Cross, and the manufacturer is donating medicines plus pre-positioned antibiotics through AmeriCares.
Meanwhile Merck is reported to have donated $100,000 each to the American Red Cross, Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee.
Adam Hill
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