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BAXTER JOINS
THE CHILDREN'S WORLD BLOOD BANK'S EFFORTS TO INCREASE ACCESS TO A SAFE
GLOBAL BLOOD SUPPLY FOR CHILDREN WORLDWIDE
Children's World Blood Blank Seeks to Save the Lives of Children by
Giving Extra Blood Donated in the U.S. to Countries in Need
DEERFIELD, Ill., March
18, 2002 -- Each day countless children die because of a critical blood
shortage or an unsafe blood supply in their country. Seeking a compelling
way to address this serious global issue, Baxter International Inc. is
serving as the major sponsor, and joining three Nobel Peace Prize Laureates,
a former U.S. Surgeon General, the Association of Independent Blood Centers,
the South Florida Blood Banks and the South Florida Blood Banks Foundation
in launching the Children's World Blood Bank to support access to a safe
and stable blood supply for children worldwide.
The Children's World Blood Bank aims to save the lives of children by
giving extra blood donated in the United States to children in countries
lacking a well-developed infrastructure for collecting, storing and screening
blood and blood components. The program will start with 10 U.S. blood
centers each donating 10 units of blood monthly to designated hospitals
in countries where there is a critical need for this life-saving therapy.
This effort will eventually save the lives of approximately 10,000 children
annually. It will begin with countries in Africa, Russia and South America,
and Baxter's donation will help to underwrite the costs of transporting
the blood and blood components to these countries.
"Baxter is proud to support the Children's World Blood Bank in providing
greater access to a safe blood supply for children in need," said
Michael Tucker, Baxter senior vice president. "Helping to advance
the efforts of the Children's World Blood Bank supports our long-standing
commitment to expanding access to health care for people worldwide and
enhancing patient safety."
Tucker will present the first installment of the company's $100,000 donation
to the Children's World Blood Bank at an event this evening celebrating
the launch of this life-saving initiative. The event will feature a panel
discussion on "Peace and Creating a Better World for Children"
by Nobel Peace Prize Laureates President Mikhail Gorbachev, Archbishop
Desmond Tutu, former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias and former U.S.
Surgeon General David Satcher, M.D., PhD. The humanitarians also are actively
engaged in advancing the efforts of the Children's World Blood Bank in
their respective parts of the world.
For more than 50 years Baxter has played an integral role in enhancing
the safety and availability of the blood supply. In 1939 Baxter's Transfuso-Vac
container, the first sterile, vacuum-type blood collection and storage
unit, allowed blood to be stored for up to 21 days, making blood banking
practical for the first time. Baxter's scientific advances have also allowed
for the separation of blood components from whole blood, and have led
to numerous advances in improving the quality and availability of the
blood supply. Baxter continues to develop technologies in striving for
a zero-risk blood supply, and is working with Cerus Corporation on the
development of pathogen inactivation systems. These systems, known as
INTERCEPT blood systems, are designed to enhance the safety of blood transfusions
by inactivating pathogens, including viruses, bacteria and parasites,
which may be present in blood components.
Baxter International Inc. is a global medical products and services company
that, through its subsidiaries, provides critical therapies for people
with life-threatening conditions. Baxter's products and services in bioscience
(biopharmaceuticals, vaccines, biosurgery products and transfusion therapies),
medication delivery and renal therapy are used by health-care providers
and their patients in more than 100 countries.
(Baxter, Transfuso-Vac
and INTERCEPT are trademarks of Baxter International Inc. and its affiliates.)
FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION:
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- Media Contact:
- Tanya Tyska,
847-948-3256
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