Bristol-Myers Squibb announces sickle cell treatment partnership for Angola

Bristol-Myers Squibb has entered into a new partnership agreement to provide treatments to children with sickle cell disease in Angola.

The company is allying with the Angola Sickle Cell Initiative, the Baylor College of Medicine International Pediatric AIDS Initiative, Texas Children's Hospital and Chevron to launch the project, which will debut in Luanda and Cabinda before expanding to additional sites later.

Under the terms of the agreement, thousands of Angolan children will receive regular access to Droxia, which is indicated to reduce the frequency of painful crises and the need for blood transfusions in patients with sickle cell anaemia.

Donations for the treatment of up to 1,200 children will be provided during the first two years of the programme, with this number increasing to up to 4,100 after the pilot period.

Spanning five years in all, the demonstration programme will help to build understanding of the effectiveness of treating children in resource-limited settings, while also establishing the cost benefits to healthcare systems.

John Damonti, vice-president of corporate philanthropy at Bristol-Myers Squibb and president of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, said: "We are proud to partner with the Angola Sickle Cell Initiative to help bring much-needed treatment to infants born with this painful and deadly disease."