GSK Supports Mass Drug Administration for Filariasis Elimination in Davao City

Marking the 10th year anniversary of its global commitment to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Philippines recently supported the launch of the mass drug administration (MDA) in Barangay Callawa, in the Buhangin district of Davao City.

Conducted in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH), the annual MDA aims to stop the transmission of LF in the Buhangin district, to help achieve the complete eradication of this debilitating disease in the country. GSK donated albendazole tablets, one of the two drugs recommended by the World Health Organization to stop the transmission of LF, given during the MDA to all residents of the district population aged 2 years and above for five consecutive years. The annual MDA has also been implemented in 39 other endemic provinces in the country.

According to DOH Undersecretary of Health Dr. Mario Villaverde, filariasis is among the neglected tropical disease which needs serious attention nationally and globally. Commonly known as elephantiasis, the parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes is the 2nd leading cause of permanent and long-term disability in the world.

In the Philippines, the DOH estimates that there are approximately 650,000 Filipinos affected by the disease with about 23 million more also at risk of acquiring it.Through the cooperation of all members of endemic communities, the annual MDA will decrease and eventually eliminate the cycle of LF infection.

"We have the potential to change the lives of one billion people who are at risk from this disabling disease," says GSK Chief Executive Officer JP Garnier. "That's a goal worth striving for and we have made great progress in the first 10 years."

GSK has pledged to supply albendazole tablets for the duration of the program, or until the projected date of total disease eradication. To date, the pharmaceutical company has already turned over 79.3 million tablets in the Philippines, benefiting millions of Filipinos.

As one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, GSK is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.

Highlighting their commitment to eliminate filariasis, DOH Undersecretary Mario Villaverde administers filariasis treatment to a Davao City resident.

Davao City Vice Mayor Sara Duterte and Callawa Brgy Captain Renante Gumahin (right) participate in the mass drug administration in Davao as DOH Undersecretary Mario Villaverde looks on.