Pharma, International Red Cross Combine To Fight NCDs

By Catherine Saez

The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) announced on 19 March a two-year partnership on non-communicable diseases.

A press release, posted on the IFRC website, said both organisations were to “design a behavioural change-based toolkit that promotes healthy lifestyle choices at national and community levels.”

The IFRC is expected to make the toolkit available to approximately 3 million people worldwide through its networks. Some 80 percent of non-communicable disease-related deaths occur in low-and middle-income countries, said the release.

Fighting non-communicable diseases involves multi-stakeholder solutions, and “Red Cross Red Crescent volunteers, going door-to-door in their communities play a vital role in promoting healthy lifestyles,” as “no one single player from the public or private sector working in silo can tackle the NCDs challenges,” IFRC Secretary General Bekele Geleta said in the release.

“By leveraging IFRC’s and IFPMA’s shared goal of fighting NCDs, this novel partnership brings synergy and creativity to fighting these diseases globally,” said Eduardo Pisani, IFPMA director general.