Merck Sharpe and Dohme to assist in African Aids initiative

Merck Sharpe and Dohme has committed to increasing its financial support for a campaign to combat the spread of Aids and HIV in the African nation of Botswana.

In association with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the firm's Merck Foundation unit will provide an additional $60 million (38.9 million pounds) for Botswana's African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP).

By donating extra money to the public-private partnership, Merck Sharpe and Dohme will be helping to meet the care and treatment needs of disease sufferers in the nation, while it is also contributing HIV medicines.

In total, the Merck Foundation and Gates Foundation have provided $166.5 million in support of ACHAP.

Richard Clark, chairman and chief executive officer of Merck Sharpe and Dohme, said: "This collaboration is a great success story on many levels and has become a model for many countries both on and off the African continent."

This comes after it was announced earlier this month that Merck Sharpe and Dohme is to partner with Project Hope to provide pneumococcal disease vaccinations for patients in Nicaragua.