MusclePharm Corporation (OTCBB:MSLP), one of the fastest growing nutritional supplement companies in the United States with a proprietary formulation used in eight performance products, reports the appointment of Mariel Selbovitz, MPH, as Director of Global Therapeutics Product Procurement Development.
�We are thrilled to have Ms. Selbovitz join the MusclePharm team as we enter the therapeutic, nutritional supplementation market that is focused on products to meet the nutritional requirements of people living with HIV/AIDS,� stated Cory Gregory, MusclePharm�s President. �MusclePharm is working to greatly expand our sales of therapeutic, nutritional supplementation and provide increased help to people in need across the globe.�
Mr. Gregory continued, �We believe Ms. Selbovitz expertise and experience in the field of HIV will assist us secure distribution of MusclePharm products, such as Recon, to people living with the HIV disease in developing nations thru The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and The Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).�
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is an international financing institution that invests the world�s money to battle disease. To date, it has committed US$19.3 billion in 144 countries to support large-scale prevention, treatment and care programs against these three diseases.
PEPFAR was launched in 2003 by President George W. Bush, and is the largest effort by any nation to combat a single disease with $18 billion dollars dedicated to fight HIV/AIDS in developing nations over the five year period of 2003-2008. In the first five years of the program, PEPFAR focused on establishing and scaling up prevention, care and treatment programs. It achieved success in expanding access to HIV prevention, care and treatment in low-resource settings.
By securing procurement of the Global Fund and PEPFAR, MusclePharm will be able to distribute Recon and other supplements to millions of people with HIV/AIDS worldwide thru government funds. In July 2010, MusclePharm presented at the 18th International AIDS Conference on the benefits of Recon in people with HIV/AIDS, sponsored by the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) and the AIDS Institute, both leading HIV legislative and advocacy organizations.
Selbovitz is a member of the Cornell AIDS Clinical Trials Group Community Advisory Board and AIDS Treatment Advocacy Coalition. She presented at the 5th European Conference on Clinical and Social Research on AIDS and Drugs, International Conference on Antiviral Research, 5th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention and XVIII International AIDS Conference.
Merck & Company (NYSE:MRK) reports that the Merck Company Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are committing an additional $60 million to support Botswana�s African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP). Merck is known as MSD outside the US and Canada. A unique program developed with and led by the Government of Botswana, ACHAP is one of sub-Saharan Africa�s oldest, most successful public-private partnerships. With today�s pledge, the Merck Foundation and the Gates Foundation�s total cash contributions now amount to $166.5 million. Merck will also continue the donation of its HIV medicines.
Building on the successes created by its initial investment of $56.5 million nine years ago, Merck will contribute an additional $30 million over the next five years. The new funding will continue the program’s original efforts in treatment and care but also will support the second phase initiatives to meet the current treatment needs of the 137,000 Batswana (people from Botswana) living with HIV and new patients enrolled in the second phase. The second phase initiatives include: the prevention of HIV, the critical need to treat people living with HIV for tuberculosis (TB) and the sustainability of the program to allow Botswana to successfully address HIV/AIDS within its own borders.
“For nearly 10 years, Merck has been a partner in helping the Government of Botswana save the lives of thousands of people living with HIV and AIDS and we are confident our new funding will continue to contribute to the well-being of the country,” said Richard T. Clark, chairman and CEO of Merck. “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.�
ACHAP has helped demonstrate how public-private partnerships might work to save the lives of the world�s poorest people infected with HIV. Between 2001 and 2007, the partnership has supported Botswana in preventing the estimated deaths of more than 53,000 Batswana living with HIV. Today about 90 percent of Batswana living with HIV receive treatment, compared to less than 5 percent when the program began in 2001.
�Our partners� contributions, through funding, antiretroviral (ARV) medicine donations and medical expertise, have been absolutely essential to our ability to address the needs of Batswana living with HIV and AIDS,� said Themba Moeti, M.D., managing director of ACHAP. �We look forward to strengthening our partnership as we enter our second phase and enhancing the successes of our first decade while responding to the challenges that remain and retaining the flexibility to address emerging issues.�
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