Pharma, consumer companies donate to virus relief efforts
Domestic and overseas pharmaceutical companies and consumer goods providers are among those lending a helping hand to Hubei Province, which is the epicenter of a pneumonia outbreak.
Roche and its diagnostics division is donating over 4.3 million yuan (US$623,188) in cash and supplies, and a special task force was set up to ensure stable supply of prescription drugs including anti-virus and anti-infection treatment and interferon.
It also donated a nucleic acid extraction purification machine, polymerase chain reaction facility and other testing devices and reagents worth a total of 2.8 million yuan to help virus research and patient diagnosis.
Roche is sending its flu treatment Oseltamivir and other drugs to hospitals nationwide.
Siemens' health-care division responded within hours after receiving a request for a new computed tomography machine from Wuhan Red Cross Hospital, which is a designated fever clinic hospital. Five local engineers were dispatched to conduct on-site inspections and debugging and the machine has been operational since the weekend.
It has also donated a portable ultrasound device and network facilities to the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University.
The company's logistics team is also expediting the import of parts for computed tomography and digital radiography machines to ensure supply and smooth operation of existing facilities.
A new CT machine from Siemens Healthineers is set up at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital.
Boehringer Ingelheim has donated 1 million yuan to China Red Cross Foundation to purchase protective clothing, goggles and other medical protective materials for hospitals in Hubei Province amid the epidemic.
Boehringer Ingelheim's headquarters in Germany purchased 100,000 N95 masks, worth more than 2 million yuan, which will be donated to Wuhan hospitals.
Fosun International has secured medical supplies in urgent demand including 330,000 facial masks and 270,000 sets of surgical protective gear from overseas.
The first batch of 8,000 protective gear and 10,000 masks were offered on early Wednesday to nearly a dozen local medical institutions and medical teams sent from other parts of the country.
Fosun has delivered protective gears to a dozen local medical institutions and medical teams from other parts of the country.
WuxiAppTec has collected 5 million yuan of employees' donation and an addition of 15 million yuan of medical supply to support grassroot community medical staff.
Unilever's hand sanitizers were sent to Tianjin and Wuhan health care authorities and medical staff.
Bayer's prescription antibiotic moxifloxacin hydrochloride tablets have been dispatched from its supply center in Guangzhou and reached Wuhan over the weekend.
More than 400,000 boxes of Redoxon Vitamin C Tablets and pain killing drug Saridon (paracetamol) were sent to Wuhan within a single day.
The German company is also donating 4.5 million yuan in cash.
French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi said it has donated 1 million yuan to China Red Cross Foundation to purchase masks, protective gears, disinfectant and enforce epidemic prevention and control in Hubei Province.
Bayer has prepared Vitamin C and pain relief drugs to be sent to Wuhan.
Front of food
Nestle has dispatched nutrition-enhanced food supplements from domestic warehouses to Wuhan while donated 40 million yuan worth of food and cash to the China Red Cross Foundation.
Danone has offered 5 million yuan cash donation to the Red Cross Foundation and 4 million yuan worth of advanced medical nutritional supplements, masks, beverages and drugs to Hubei Province.
Coca Cola, Abbott, Reckitt Benckiser, Pfizer, Takeda and Shenzhen Mindray Bio Medical Electronics Co, Philips are also among those which have donated cash and products to disease stricken areas.
Nestle has dispatched nutrition-enhanced food supplements from domestic warehouses to Wuhan while donated 40 million yuan worth of food and cash to the China Red Cross Foundation.
