Bayer HealthCare Announces Recipients International Hemophilia Nursing Fellowship

6/4/2008

Program Established by World Federation of Hemophilia to Improve Treatment of Bleeding Disorders

ISTANBUL, Turkey (June 4, 2008) – Bayer HealthCare announced today the recipients of the 2008 International Hemophilia Nursing Fellowship, a program established by the World Federation of Hemophilia to improve the treatment of hemophilia in developing countries through state-of-the-art education and training. Bayer, the sole sponsor of the program, supports the fellowship as part of its commitment to people around the world living with hemophilia.

Bayer’s support of the International Hemophilia Nursing Fellowship Program directly improves treatment for some of the world’s most difficult-to-reach patients. Currently, approximately 70 percent of undiagnosed and undertreated people with hemophilia live in developing countries, where hemophilia-trained nurses and healthcare professionals are in short supply.

“Effective hemophilia treatment begins with providing medical professionals access to the training and tools they need to learn current treatment practices,“ said Mark Skinner, president, WFH. “The hands-on experience nursing professionals receive through this international fellowship goes a long way toward improving hemophilia care in developing countries. By advancing nursing in these countries, the WFH is helping to improve the lives and long-term health of people with hemophilia and their communities. This wouldn’t be possible without Bayer’s generous support.”

This year’s fellowship winners are:

• Nombuyekezo Felicity Ncapai from South Africa, to be trained in Oxford, UK
• Cecilia Melendez de Soriano from El Salvador, to be trained in Houston, USA
• Zahra Sha’bani from Iran, to be trained in London, UK
• Margaret Wisdom-Phipps from Jamaica, to be trained in Los Angeles, USA

Nurses are critical members of the hemophilia treatment team, and through this fellowship, they travel to one of 31 International Hemophilia Training Centers (IHTCs), where they receive clinical and laboratory training. Since the fellowship’s inception in 2005, award recipients have trained at facilities across the globe, from Spain and Thailand to Australia and Argentina.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to learn new skills to help my patients and their families,” said Zahra Sha'bani from Tehran, Iran. “The opportunity to share the experience I gained from working alongside leading international nurses and doctors will be a tremendous asset to my local hemophilia community.”

Bayer has also demonstrated its commitment to the global hemophilia community by donating product, both directly and through the WFH to address humanitarian needs; funding hemophilia research and education through the Bayer Hemophilia Awards Program; and supporting leadership training programs — such as Step Up Reach Out and the National Youth Leadership Institute — to help develop the next generation of advocates within the bleeding disorders community.

“Bayer once again is proud to support this year’s winners of the International Hemophilia Nursing Fellowship, but the real winners are the people with hemophilia who will receive the benefit of that training,” said Michael E. Mathews, general manager, hemophilia, and vice president of marketing, specialty medicine, Bayer HealthCare. “Bayer strongly believes that the knowledge and skills of the hemophilia treatment team is a critical component of the overall standard of care. As such, Bayer is committed to providing the medical communities in developing countries with the training and tools needed to help those with hemophilia live the lives they choose.”

Contact:
Sreejit Mohan
Bayer HealthCare
1+510-705-5477