Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation awards 16 grants to Africa-based HIV programs

Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation marked World AIDS Day Tuesday with $3.5 million in grants for HIV programs in Africa.

Awarded through the foundation's Secure the Future Initiative, the 16 grants will be used to enhance access to HIV-related services for adolescents, conduct research on HIV prevention practices among the elderly, increase access to health services for women who are co-diagnosed with HIV and breast or cervical cancer and integrate care for those who are co-infected with both HIV and tuberculosis (TB).

Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation President John Damonti said the grants will help the organization's efforts to create a world without HIV.

“Through these grants, the foundation and its partners are helping to ensure that HIV-positive youth and the elderly in Africa continue to receive much-needed care and support and that women who are co-infected with HIV and cervical or breast cancer have information and access to potentially lifesaving screening and treatment," Damonti said. "In addition, given the close correlation between HIV infection and TB, it is essential that we work with our partners to continue strengthening community programs and approaches that integrate both diseases.”

Secure the Future has offered more than $183 million in grants supporting HIV-positive individuals in sub-Saharan Africa since the initiative's creation in 1999.