Interesting that one of the largest global pharmaceutical companies with a malaria programme is also attending the conference.
It is these types of conferences that can really promote EMS and the artimist project. Of course the access to government, aid agencies, and the NGO sector is a potentially important funding opportunity as well as a clearer regulatory pathway, but increasing the visibility of artimist to a company like Novartis can only be a good thing.
It's over to you Steve.
Novartis experts join Malaria 2012: Saving Lives in Asia Pacific conference to assist in the development of regional responses to the disease
Novartis
Tuesday 30 October 2012, 4:00PM Media release from Novartis
Novartis experts join Malaria 2012: Saving Lives in Asia Pacific conference to assist in the development of regional responses to the disease
As part of its worldwide efforts to combat malaria, members of the Novartis Malaria Initiative have been invited to attend Malaria 2012: Saving Lives in the Asia Pacific, the Australian Government's AusAID conference being held in Sydney from 31 October - 2 November.
Malaria is one of the world's most dangerous diseases and the most deadly mosquito-borne illness. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that each year nearly 243 million people become acutely ill and 863,000, mostly children, die from malaria.
"Novartis welcomes the action taken by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Australian Government in hosting this conference. We look forward to contributing what we have learned in our battle against malaria," said Jason Smith, Managing Director of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Australia.
"We believe this disease is preventable and curable and no one should die of malaria today. Novartis is committed to helping eliminate this disease, and we hope our work in Papua New Guinea and the Soloman Islands can add to the discussion for improved outcomes in the broader Pacific region," Mr Smith added.
Over the past decade, the Novartis Malaria Initiative has become one of the healthcare industry's largest access-to-medicine programs, providing 500 million treatments, without profit, to more than 60 malaria-endemic countries, contributing to a significant reduction of the death toll from malaria which affects mostly infants and children. To address the unmet global need presented by malaria, the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD) has led the formation of a research consortium that brings together cutting-edge drug discovery with world-class malaria biology expertise.
In 2001, Novartis entered into a landmark 10-year partnership with the WHO to supply a malaria therapy without profit to the public sector. Today the Novartis Malaria Initiative is engaged in more than 20 public-private partnerships from R&D, sourcing, production, access, through to distribution and impact assessment.
EMS Price at posting:
3.6¢ Sentiment: None Disclosure: Held
