Janssen Therapeutics Announces Support for Organizations Focused on Improving Care and Treatment for People Who Inject Drugs Living with HIV and/or Hepatitis C

TITUSVILLE, N.J., April 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Janssen Therapeutics, Division of Janssen Products, LP (Janssen), today announced the recipients of funding from a special request for applications (RFA), "Improving Care and Treatment for People Who Inject Drugs Living with HIV and/or Hepatitis C."

Eight United States-based organizations each will receive a one-year charitable contribution to enhance access to healthcare and treatment for people who inject drugs living with HIV and/or hepatitis C.

Injection drug use is at the core of the HIV and hepatitis C epidemics, attributed as the third most frequently reported risk factor for HIV infection^1,2,3,4 and the primary cause of hepatitis C in the United States.⁵ Successful treatment of HIV and hepatitis C among people who inject drugs is important to reduce virus-related complications and the likelihood of transmitting the virus(es) to others.^6,7

In response to the significant unmet need among people who inject drugs living with HIV and/or hepatitis C in obtaining access to comprehensive healthcare in the face of multiple barriers, Janssen awarded charitable contributions of up to $40,000 each to recipient organizations in support of community- and peer-based models to improve care and address documented barriers to treatment.

The recipients comprise a diverse range of organizations, including:

• Atlanta Harm Reduction Coalition (Atlanta, GA)
• Boom!Health (New York, NY)
• Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation (Corpus Christi, TX)
• Mendocino County AIDS/Viral Hepatitis Network (Ukiah, CA)
• The Open Door, Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA)
• St. John's Well Child and Family Center, Inc. (Los Angeles, CA)
• Vermont Committee for AIDS Resources Education & Services (Burlington, VT)
• Washington Heights CORNER Project (New York, NY)

"We're committed to helping improve access to care and treatment by addressing significant unmet needs in at-risk populations facing multiple, persistent barriers," said Nefertiti Greene, president, Janssen Therapeutics. "As a leader in infectious diseases, we're honored to support these organizations in their efforts to enhance linkages to treatment and care for this often underserved part of the HIV and hepatitis C communities."

United States-based 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations were eligible to submit proposals. Submissions were assessed on their potential to improve access to and retention in care for people who inject drugs, and to link diagnosed patients to medical treatment and supportive care through a multi-disciplinary, partnership-based model.

About Janssen Therapeutics Commitment to Supporting Community Organizations
As part of its overall support of community organizations, Janssen Therapeutics funds endeavors addressing unmet needs for underserved populations in the HIV and hepatitis C communities while providing private sector funding to community-based organizations.

The company periodically issues focused RFAs to address significant unmet care or access needs among underserved populations living with HIV and/or hepatitis C to help stimulate new models of care and services and to enhance organizational capacity. This is the eighth funding initiative since 2008, contributing more than $3.2 million to community-based and national HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C service organizations.

To learn more, visit http://www.janssentherapeutics-grants.com.

About Janssen Therapeutics
At Janssen, we are dedicated to addressing and solving some of the most important unmet medical needs of our time in HIV, hepatitis C and other infectious diseases. Driven by our commitment to patients, we develop innovative products, services and healthcare solutions to help people throughout the world. Headquartered in Titusville, New Jersey, Janssen Therapeutics, Division of Janssen Products, LP, is one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. Visit www.JanssenTherapeutics.com for more information and follow us on Twitter at @JanssenUS.

¹ National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Fact Sheet: HIV and AIDS in America: A Snapshot. 2012.

² Prejean J, Song R, Hernandez A, Ziebell R, Green T, et al. Estimated HIV Incidence in the United States, 2006–2009. PLoS ONE. 2011;6(8): e17502.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0017502.

³ Recommendations for prevention and control of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and HCV-related chronic disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MMWR Recomm Rep. 1998;4: 1–39.

⁴ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Monitoring selected national HIV prevention and care objectives by using HIV surveillance data–United States and 6 U.S. dependent areas–2010. HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report. 2012; 17(No. 3, part A). Available at http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/library/reports/surveillance/2010/surveillance_Report_vol_17_no_3.html. Accessed March 31, 2015.

⁵ Seeff, L.B., 2009. The history of the "natural history" of hepatitis C (1968–2009). Liver Int. 29 (Suppl. 1), 89–99.

⁶ AASLD/IDSA/IAS-USA. Recommendations for testing, managing, and treating hepatitis C. Available at www.hcvguidelines.org. Accessed March 23, 2105.

⁷ Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents. Guidelines for the use of antiretroviral agents in HIV-1-infected adults and adolescents. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/contentfiles/lvguidelines/adultandadolescentgl.pdf. Accessed March 23, 2015.

Media contact:
Lisa Vaga
Office: (609) 730-2020
Mobile: (908) 670-0363

SOURCE Janssen Therapeutics

Related Links

http://www.JanssenTherapeutics.com