Merck Company Foundation/Merck & Co., Inc.
The African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP) is an initiative of the Republic of Botswana, along with Merck Company Foundation/Merck & Co., Inc. and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to demonstrate the feasibility of a comprehensive country-led approach to improving the entire spectrum of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment in Botswana.
Merck's first responsibility in our fight against HIV/AIDS is to continue doing what we do best: to marshal our expertise and capacity in cutting-edge science to discover and develop breakthrough medicines and vaccines that will save lives and spare human suffering. This means continued dedication to a research effort begun in 1986 that has yielded two important medicines to date. More importantly, we continue to pursue a vaccine that we believe will offer the best hope for people living with HIV worldwide.
The second responsibility of companies like ours in confronting the globalization of HIV/AIDS is to continue doing what we must to champion public/private partnerships that bring a co–ordinated response to the myriad of problems in providing access to HIV/AIDS education, care and treatment.
In Botswana, we are working with the government and our partners to improve prevention, care and treatment for HIV/AIDS, including training, education, testing, counselling and medical care. It is a country–led process: their priorities, their needs – leveraging our resources, experience and commitment to help.
By working together, pooling our knowledge and resources, we can mount effective solutions to this critical challenge – and make a world of difference for people in Botswana and the millions of people around the world living with HIV/AIDS today.
