Henry Schein supports Aids research

A leading supplier of health and dental care products has announced it is to support research into an Aids vaccination in Britain and Africa, it has been announced.

Henry Schein has joined the International Aids Vaccine Initiative’s (IAVI’s) philanthropy programme and donated $50,000 (?24,240) worth of products to its Human Core Immunology Lab based in Britain.

Seth Berkley, president and chief executive officer of the IAVI, said the organisation hopes the partnership will be ongoing.

Henry Schein’s generosity shows that even companies which have no connection to Aids vaccine development can still contribute, she commented.

Stanley M Bergman, chairman and chief executive officer of Henry Schein, said: “We strive to support causes that are important to our customers – and certainly Aids vaccine research is a priority throughout the medical community.”

The IAVI reports that during 2006, more than 39 million people across the planet were living with HIV, with 2.8 million people dying as a result of the virus and more than four million becoming infected.