OTTAWA- Mylan Inc. and the Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) recently announced a collaborative initiative to raise funds and awareness for Canadians who are living with or at risk of HIV/AIDS.
On World AIDS Day, the two organizations unveiled that a team of athletes will run across Canada in the Mylan Relay for Hope, beginning in April 2015 in St. John’s, NL, and ending in October 2015 in Hope, BC. This team will consist of 36 dedicated runners subdivided into teams of 3, each of which will be responsible for running the distance in their province, before the team in the next province can begin their westward journey. The runners will carry select panels of the Canadian AIDS Memorial Quilt, a grassroots project started in the 1980’s as part of “The Names Project” to honor loved ones who have died from HIV/AIDS.
“HIV/AIDS continues to have a devastating impact on communities across the world,” said Monique Doolittle-Romas, chief executive officer of the Canadian AIDS Society. “In Canada, we estimate that there are 71,300 people living with HIV/AIDS. Despite the significant progress made in many areas of HIV/AIDS, our battle continues. We need the continued support of Canadians to help beat the disease, and are delighted to partner with Mylan on the Relay for Hope campaign to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS issues, and inspire more and more Canadians to support people living with HIV/AIDS in Canada and around the globe.”
Mylan is committed to setting new standards in health care for people living with HIV/AIDS. The company has played a critical role in helping to drive down the cost of antiretroviral, or ARV, medications. Mylan now offers 50 ARV drugs and serves approximately 3.5 million patients in 104 countries.