Our continued commitment to combating Ebola

Since March of 2014, there have been more than 28,000 cases of Ebola in West Africa, with more than 11,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).  From the beginning of the outbreak, our member companies and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) were quick to take action. Over this time, we have worked with multiple stakeholders, including sister trade organizations around the world, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense (DOD) to help current patients, but also to fast-track the development of potential new vaccines and medicines to combat the disease in the future.

Serving as a single point of contact representing our member companies, PhRMA made product donations and provided funding for infrastructure improvements, medical products and proactive health care measures to assist with the outbreak in West Africa. Due to our efforts and those of others, the outbreak was fortunately contained. For example, with seventeen potential vaccines and treatments in clinical development and at least 42 in preclinical and clinical development around the world, the work to protect patients and their families continues. 

When it comes to emerging catastrophic infections, it is not whether they will occur, but rather when. PhRMA and our member organizations have adopted a ‘be prepared’ policy toward the possibility of these global threats and we have made a commitment to continue collaborative work on responding to the ongoing and future global crises.

Watch this video to learn more about industry efforts to combat Ebola and our continued commitment to the development of treatments and vaccines. For more information, visit http://phrma.org/ebola.