ATLANTA, Feb. 19, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Novartis Ophthalmics, North America is helping The Carter Center in Atlanta erase an all-too-familiar sight in many African nations: children holding sticks while adults hold the other end. It is not a playful game, but a dreadful reality: the children are leading adults blinded by trachoma, a painful disease that is the world's leading cause of preventable blindness.
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 146 million people are affected by trachoma. The disease has blinded an estimated 6 million people, most of whom are women. In addition, another 540 million -- almost 10 percent of the world's population -- are at risk. But with financial help from charitable foundations and companies like Novartis Ophthalmics, The Carter Center is working with health ministries from seven African nations to attack the problem of trachoma.
In 1998 with a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, The Carter Center began a program to combat the disease, which is spread by flies, unsanitary conditions and infected individuals. Trachoma is caused by repeated infections of the eyelids by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. As a trachoma patient's eyelids are repeatedly infected with chlamydia, subsequent scarring of the conjunctiva deforms the eyelid margin, resulting in eyelashes turning inwards and rubbing against the cornea. This condition, called trichiasis, causes pain and scarring of the cornea, which frequently leads to blindness.
In 2002, Novartis Ophthalmics, maker of Visudyne(r) (verteporfin for injection), Zaditor(tm) (ketotifen fumarate ophthalmic solution 0.025%), GenTeal(r) Lubricant Eye Drops and other eye health products, contributed $50,000 to the Carter Center's sight-saving initiatives, including the Trachoma Control and River Blindness programs. The company also donated supplies of Eye Scrub(r), a sterile cleanser for good eyelid hygiene developed by Novartis. The Eye Scrub supplies were tested in a pilot program in Ethiopia.
"In countries with limited access to clean, safe water supplies, Eye Scrub can mean the difference between sight and sightlessness in people's lives," said Dan Myers, president of Novartis Ophthalmics North America and a member of the Carter Center's Board of Councilors. "Sterile equipment and supplies are limited in these countries. We knew that Eye Scrub, which is packaged as sterile, individually wrapped pads that do not require water, could be a valuable asset to the program."
The prevalence of blindness in Sudan and Ethiopia is thought to be among the highest in the world. In two severely affected regions of Sudan, almost half of the children between ages one and 10 have active trachoma. In one region of Ethiopia, 88 percent of 1-10 year olds had early signs of trachoma, and one out of five women aged 40 and over had trichiasis.
During the six-month pilot program, Eye Scrub was used in trichiasis surgeries in Ethiopia. The surgeries were performed by Ministry of Health surgeons with support from The Carter Center and the Lions Clubs International Foundation Eye Camps. A report on the project said nurses used Eye Scrub cleanser on 130 patients for pre- and post-trichiasis surgery and for cleaning severely infected eyes with discharges. According to the positive evaluation, the nurses reported that the sterile Eye Scrub cleanser was effective and non-irritating.
"In Sudan, we are fighting the ancient cause of blindness in areas where people have little, or no, clean water," said Dr. James Zingeser, director of the Center's Trachoma Control Program. "Personal hygiene is as impoverished as the environment, and surgery is done under less than hygienic conditions. The generous gift of Eye Scrubs from Novartis will help reduce complications from eye surgery, improve the results of our interventions, and bring hope to some of the most impoverished people of the world. We at The Carter Center are proud to have Novartis on our team, fighting disease and building hope."
With the success of the pilot program, Novartis Ophthalmics has donated more supplies of Eye Scrub, enough for 500 surgeries in Sudan. According to Dr. Zinseger, surgeries in Sudan are expected to increase rapidly, so there is a potential for the partnership between The Carter Center and Novartis Ophthalmics to grow.
Novartis Ophthalmics has already committed to sponsoring a dinner during the Feb. 24-28 Trachoma and River Blindness Program Review, an annual conference of health officials at The Carter Center.
"Thanks to President and Mrs. Carter, The Carter Center is a 'light of hope' beaming throughout the world for millions of impoverished people," Myers said. "Novartis Ophthalmics is very pleased to be able to join forces with The Carter Center in helping people retain and save their sight, which is what we do every day."
Novartis Ophthalmics is also a partner with Prevent Blindness Georgia in outreach programs to test children for vision problems and to screen the homeless for eye glasses.
Background on Novartis Ophthalmics
With worldwide headquarters in Bulach, Switzerland, Novartis Ophthalmics is a global leader in research, development and manufacturing of leading ophthalmic pharmaceuticals that assist in the treatment of glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, eye inflammation, ocular allergies and other diseases and disorders of the eye. Novartis Ophthalmics products are available in more than 110 countries. The North American headquarters is based in Atlanta, Ga. Novartis Ophthalmics has production sites in Switzerland, France and Canada. For more information, please go to the web site www.novartisophthalmics.com/us.
Background on Novartis AG
Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) is a world leader in pharmaceuticals and consumer health. In 2002, the Group's businesses achieved sales of CHF 32.4 billion (USD 20.9 billion) and a net income of CHF 7.3 billion (USD 4.7 billion). The Group invested approximately CHF 4.3 billion (USD 2.8 billion) in R&D. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ about 72 900 people and operate in over 140 countries around the world. For further information please consult http://www.novartis.com