6.13.2007 - 11:50am ET

(CSRwire) ABBOTT PARK, IL. and NEW YORK- June 13, 2007 — Tonight at its annual gala, the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GBC) will honor Abbott and Abbott Fund for outstanding results in fighting HIV/AIDS in Tanzania. Abbott will be presented with the GBC "Award for Business Excellence on HIV/AIDS through National Action" in recognition of the company's six-year, $50+ million public-private partnership with the Government of Tanzania to strengthen the country's health care system and train health workers to meet the needs of people living with HIV and other chronic diseases.

The GBC event pays tribute to the important role of business in addressing HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, and recognizes outstanding contributions from businesses and business leaders throughout the world.

"Abbott and Abbott Fund have set new standards in the corporate fight against HIV/AIDS, and their important work to improve the health care system in Tanzania will serve as a superlative model for other businesses around the world to follow," said GBC President Ambassador Richard Holbrooke. "The business community plays a vital role in fighting these epidemics. Abbott and Abbott Fund have demonstrated that the private sector can truly make a positive difference in this global effort."

"The global business community is making a powerful contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS by applying its expertise and resources in partnership with governments and NGOs," said Miles D. White, chairman and chief executive officer, Abbott. "Over the past seven years, we've worked closely with the Government of Tanzania to strengthen the country's health system to advance HIV testing and treatment. Our partnership is improving the lives of Tanzanians today and for generations to come."

The GBC award recognizes Abbott Fund's outstanding efforts and more importantly, significant results in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Abbott Fund is building capacity at more than 90 health centers throughout Tanzania, bringing HIV services into some remote regions for the first time. Abbott Fund also built a new outpatient center and clinical laboratory at the country's leading reference hospital, trained thousands of health care workers, and provided HIV counseling and testing for more than 150,000 people.

"The Government of Tanzania has made a significant commitment to address HIV/AIDS, and Abbott has been a close partner, helping us to produce real results for the people of Tanzania," said David Mwakyusa, Tanzania's Minister of Health and Social Welfare. "This partnership provides a strong model for how the private sector can work with government to fight HIV/AIDS."

Working side by side with their Tanzanian colleagues, Abbott employee volunteers provide training and technical support in the areas of construction, engineering, infection control, information technology, laboratory management, security and waste management. Abbott Fund recently opened a new program office in Tanzania to manage its extensive HIV/AIDS philanthropic efforts and partnerships in the country. Additionally, Abbott has donated laboratory equipment to upgrade diagnostic testing and disease monitoring, and Abbott-supported field service engineers maintain donated Abbott equipment across the country to ensure uninterrupted lab services are available.

About the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GBC)

The Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GBC) is an alliance of 220 international companies leading the private sector fight against these three epidemics. GBC works to leverage the business sector's unique skills and expertise – including comprehensive workplace policies; community programs; core competencies; leadership and advocacy and public-private partnerships – in the global drive to eradicate these deadly illnesses. The official focal point of the private sector delegation to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, GBC maintains offices in New York, Paris, Johannesburg, Beijing, Geneva, Nairobi, Moscow, and Kiev. www.businessfightsaids.org / www.businessfightstb.org / www.businessfightsmalaria.org

About Abbott's Comprehensive Approach to the Global Fight Against HIV/AIDS

Abbott has been a leader in HIV/AIDS research since the early years of the epidemic. In 1985, the company developed the first licensed test to detect HIV antibodies in the blood and remains a leader in HIV diagnostics; Abbott retroviral and hepatitis tests are used to screen more than half of the world's donated blood supply. Abbott also has developed two protease inhibitors for the treatment of HIV.

Expanding on its scientific contributions, Abbott and Abbott Fund have invested more than $100 million in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa and the developing world. Abbott and Abbott Fund are improving the lives of people affected by HIV/AIDS through programs targeting critical areas of need, including strengthening health care systems, supporting children affected by HIV/AIDS, preventing the transmission of HIV from mother-to-child, and advancing HIV testing and treatment. Key results to date include helping more than 600,000 children and families, donating more than 5 million rapid HIV tests to prevent mother-to-child transmission, and providing more than 70 million rapid HIV tests at no profit across Africa.

Abbott's global workplace HIV/AIDS policy ensures confidentiality and protects HIV-positive employees against discrimination, a key barrier to testing and treatment. In Africa, Abbott is one of a handful of companies with a comprehensive "AIDS-in-the-Workplace" program, covering education and prevention, voluntary counseling, testing and treatment.

For more information on Abbott's HIV/AIDS programs, please visit www.abbottglobalcare.org and www.abbott.com/hiv.

About Abbott and Abbott Fund

Abbott Fund is a philanthropic foundation established by Abbott in 1951. The Fund's mission is to create healthier global communities by investing in creative ideas that promote science, expand access to health care and strengthen communities worldwide. For more information, visit www.abbottfund.org.

Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs 65,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries. Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the company's Web site at www.abbott.com.

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