14th July, 2009
GSK Chief Executive Visits AMREF Projects, Announces New Funding for HIV/AIDS Initiatives in Africa
Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), today visited one of AMREF’s programmes in Nairobi, where he announced his company’s latest commitments to the fight against HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Speaking at the Zingatia Maisha Positive Action HIV Project in Kibera, one of the city’s largest slum areas, Witty announced £60 million in new funding for HIV/AIDS research, prevention, and treatment, with a special focus on mother-to-child transmission.
“We must do a better job at preventing HIV in children,” Witty said. “This [£50-million] fund will be for NGOs and others who work to prevent mother-to-child transmission and who work with orphans and vulnerable children.”
Jo Ensor, CEO of AMREF UK, applauded the move: “AMREF welcomes Andrew Witty and GSK’s commitment to better health for Africa,” she says. “This fund represents an opportunity for organisations like AMREF to continue to strengthen Africa's health systems, and to build on the gains we’ve made in the fight against HIV in recent years.”
UNAIDS estimates that 2.7 million Africans were infected with HIV in 2007. However, evidence suggests that prevalence rates are declining in some African countries.
The announcement comes on the first day of the GSK chief executive’s two-day tour of AMREF projects in Kenya and Uganda. AMREF and GSK have a long and successful history of working together on some of Africa’s most intractable health issues, such as HIV and malaria. GSK currently supports AMREF projects in Kenya and Uganda, including Zingatia Maisha, which helps HIV-positive people to access and maintain antiretroviral drug regimens.
“AMREF understands Africa and we are very happy to work with the UK-based staff who know the programmes and what we are trying to achieve,” says Justine Frain, GSK’s VP of Global Community Partnerships.
Witty first made headlines in February when he announced his intention to cut prices for essential drugs in developing countries and launch a patent pool to spur the development of more effective medicines for neglected tropical diseases.
Related: AMREF’s Zingatia Maisha and PHASE projects