Bristol-Myers Squibb provides new grants to aid hepatitis projects

Bristol-Myers Squibb is providing a number of new charitable grants to aid the development of hepatitis B and C projects in China and India.

The company's philanthropic Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation is awarding four grants totalling $1.69 million (1.07 million pounds) to organisations such as the China Foundation for Hepatitis Prevention and Control, the Hope Initiative and the Liver Foundation West Bengal.

Using this money, the organisations will be able to set up patient support networks, develop new therapy programmes and improve understanding of the disease among sufferers and care providers.

In the last ten years, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation's efforts have progressed from building infrastructure and educating healthcare workers to empowering patients to advocate for improved education, support and services.

John Damonti, president of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, said: "This evolution is an important signal that … we are making important progress in helping to address the needs of people living with hepatitis B and C in communities that are disproportionately impacted by these diseases."

This comes after the company announced plans to expand its philanthropic Together on Diabetes initiative to China and India last month.