Programs

To provide a coordinated global approach to fighting malaria, the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership was launched in 1998 by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank.

According to a survey of 600 adolescents from the impoverished Sao Jorge community in the Brazilian city of Londrina, 60% do not use contraceptives and 30 percent have used illegal drugs. To protect these vulnerable teens from infectious diseases, ALIA began the Saber para Reagir (To Know Is to React) program. The program's workshops educate 80 participants at a time about sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS), early pregnancy, correct use of male and female contraceptives, and citizen rights.

EPIVAC (from EPIdemiology & VACcinology) is a comprehensive, one-year, on-the-job professional training program in epidemiology, applied computing, vaccinology and management of health programs for public health officers in West Africa, culminating in an inter-university diploma in 'Organization and Management of Public Immunization Programs in Developing Countries' awarded by the universities of Cocody-Abidjan (Ivory Coast) and Paris-Dauphine (France). The program is a Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis, contribution to the GAVI Alliance.

In April 2005, sanofi-aventis signed an agreement with Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) to develop a new medicine against malaria, in response to a call from the World Health Organization (WHO) for malaria be treated by drug combinations to combat resistance. DNDi and sanofi-aventis have developed a fixed-dose combination (FDC) of two antimalarial compounds, artesunate and amodiaquine (ASAQ) that is easier to use and more affordable than any other combination currently available.

Sanofi-aventis supports a number of projects in developing countries, the main purpose of which is to help improve children's health.

In 2006, sanofi-aventis launched pilot programs to help improve diabetes disease management in developing countries, in conjunction with the NGO Handicap International, Sante Diabete Mali and other local NGOs in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Several projects were set up in 2007 in Burundi, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Nicaragua, Philippines and Thailand. The program aims to help local health care systems to manage the disease better, prevent the onset of complications and so avoid the subsequent need for surgical interventions such as amputation.

The Impact Malaria program embodies sanofi-aventis' longstanding commitment to fight malaria. Sanofi-aventis is researching new treatments that are affordable, adapted to patients' needs, especially children, and can help circumvent growing resistance to existing medicines. The most advanced projects are ferroquine for uncomplicated malaria, developed with Lille University and 'bicationic compounds' for severe malaria with Montpellier University, both in Phase II clinical trials. Upstream projects include development of 'trioxaquins' with Palumed in Toulouse.

In 2004, sanofi-aventis and the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) launched a mobilization and awareness program called 'My Child Matters', to fight against childhood cancers in emerging countries. The objective is to encourage institutions (hospitals, NGOs, etc.) to develop pragmatic approaches to improve awareness, early diagnosis, access to care and treatment, pain control and better management of the social and cultural aspects of the disease for both children and families.

In March 2002, sanofi-aventis and the Nelson Mandela Foundation established the TB Free program, a EUR 15 million effort to increase detection and treatment rates for tuberculosis in South Africa. Initially planned to finish in 2007, it has now been extended to 2010. The partnership trains volunteers to encourage patient compliance during the 6-month treatment, using the WHO-recommended DOTS (Directly Observed Therapy Short-Course) strategy.

Sigma-Tau supports the African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF) in implementing the 'Uganda Project', a vaccination and medical training program in Northern Uganda, in the areas most affected by the civil war of the 1990s. The main aim of the project is to vaccinate more than 3,000 Ugandan children against the six most common childhood diseases (tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, hepatitis B and measles). At the same time, it also aims to provide medical training for local health workers, thus furnishing both immediate and long-term support for health development.

The aim of the consortium is to explore ways to understand and better manage dengue infection, and ultimately minimize the incidence of dengue, which has increased in recent years.

China, with approximately 350 million smokers, produces and consumes more cigarettes than any other country in the world. Pfizer China anticipated its parent company's global tobacco control initiative (see Global Health Partnerships) by supporting the Chinese government's efforts to promote smoking cessation through a series of community awareness and education programs, notably a three-year smoking cessation initiative by the Beijing University Medical School called 'Staying Away from Tobacco for a Healthy Life'.