Baxter Healthcare Corporation recently recognized achievements made by the World Federation of Hemophilia’s (WFH) Global Alliance for Progress (GAP) program. GAP was launched in 2003 to make diagnosis and access to quality care a reality in the developing world, where the need is greatest. So far the program has helped identify more than 5,000 new hemophilia patients and trained over 2,000 healthcare professionals. Baxter, which is the founding sponsor of the 10-year program, acknowledged strides made towards GAP’s goal of improving disease management for the 75% of the worldwide hemophilia population living with either inadequate healthcare or none at all.      

WFH estimates that life expectancy for a person with hemophilia in a developing country is less than 20 years, as opposed to 60 years for one born in a developed nation. The program implements a multi-faceted approach to create better conditions for these individuals. GAP initiatives include training for hemophilia healthcare professionals, augmenting resources to purchase factor products, enhancing and standardizing diagnostic and treatment protocols, plus education and awareness programs. Participating countries include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, Mexico, the Philippines, Russia and Thailand. Ultimately, WFH’s goal is to have 30 countries participating in GAP.       

“We know that people with hemophilia who receive high quality care and have access to the most advanced therapies enjoy significantly longer, more fulfilling lives,” said Mark Skinner, president of WFH. “Programs like GAP help us achieve our goal of improving quality of life for the global hemophilia community. Next year we hope to expand our efforts to additional developing countries to help us reach this goal.” Baxter has committed $1.2 million for the program to date.

To learn more about GAP’s specific achievements to date go to http://www.wfh.org/en/page.aspx?pid=814

Source: Baxter Healthcare Corporation news release dated April 13, 2006