Cause and consequence of poverty, the trachoma – a tropical disease among the main risk factors for preventable blindness – remains a public health threat to 125 million people living in hyperendemic areas of Africa, Latin America, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. An estimated 1.9 million people suffer from visual impairment as a result of the infection, and women are up to four times more likely to go blind from trachoma than men. The pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the International Trachoma Initiative, an independent, non-profit global health program, have announced the donation of the billionth dose of azithromycin to help prevent and treat the disease.
The donation of the billionth dose of Zitromax® (azithromycin is an antibiotic belonging to the macrolide family, marketed by Pfizer under the name of Zitromax® ed) adds to the commitment made by Pfizer in June 2022 to extend its antibiotic donation program through 2030helping to enable 18 countries to continue trachoma elimination programs in 2023 and beyond.
“Pfizer’s donation of one billion doses of Zithromax® has been instrumental in the success of the global trachoma program and demonstrates to the world that elimination of this debilitating disease is possiblesaid Jason Carter, chairman of the board of directors of the nongovernmental organization Carter Center. “The Carter Center has been a proud partner in the trachoma eradication journey, which is at the heart of our efforts to expand simple health interventions that have a life-changing impact».
Trachoma is the leading cause of blindness, due to infection, globally. Together, trachoma elimination efforts worldwide have succeeded in reducing its incidence by 92% since 2002, with an estimated 217.9 million people now living free from the risk of trachoma.
«Thanks to the leadership of the countries and to the joint efforts of countless partners from all over the world, millions of people are no longer at risk of this debilitating disease,” explained the Dr. Paul Emerson, director of the International Trachoma Initiative. “Together, we have significantly reduced the risk of trachoma, even in the hardest-to-reach communities, and now we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build on this momentum and permanently eliminate trachoma as a public health challenge.”
“Everyone, no matter where they live, should have access to life-saving medicines. That’s why, for more than two decades, Pfizer has been proud to join researchers, global healthcare partners and dozens of governments in efforts to eliminate trachoma.” ha aggiunto Caroline Roan, senior vice president, global health & social impact di Pfizer. “We celebrate the donation of the billionth dose of Zithromax as a collective achievement with the global healthcare community and an important step toward closing the health equity gap.”
Credit Foto: Mozambico, Danny Haddad/International Trachoma Initiative