In collaboration with Gilead
Tai chi, onco-aesthetics and wool therapy activities to support women with breast cancer, home HIV tests, screening for infectious diseases in emergency rooms to extend the diagnosis to large segments of the population. And again: projects for research into new methods of diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, DNA analysis to improve therapeutic approaches to blood cancers, creation of a network for the care of HIV-positive people affected by cancer. These are just some of the 62 winning projects of the XII edition of the Gilead Calls – Fellowship Program and Community Award Program – awarded today in Milan with a total funding of 1.6 million euros and the involvement of 31 cities.
This is concrete support for research, collaboration and support initiatives – explains a note – to improve individual and collective health and quality of life, in the name of partnership between industry, research and patient communities. A partnership that meets with the consensus of Italians, given that 70% of compatriots believe that private support from industry and citizens for research and associations is right and important, as attested by the AstraRicerche survey carried out on the occasion of the awards event.
The two tenders, reserved for the Italian research sector (Fellowship) and patient associations and third sector organizations (Community) have a single objective: to support the activities of two key players for the protection and promotion of the country’s health, both individual and collective, in particular in the context of chronic diseases. The commissions of independent experts select and finance the best projects with two objectives: improving the quality of life, therapeutic assistance and disease outcomes of patients with infectious, oncological and oncohaematological pathologies, on the one hand and, on the other , contribute to public health goals in the same areas. Furthermore, 70% of Italians believe it is essential that the private sector financially supports research and associations through donations, ad hoc initiatives and 5×1000, as emerges from the survey ‘Research, patient associations and health: a journey through the opinions of Italians’, carried out for today’s event.
Also according to the survey, 7 out of 10 compatriots consider research useful and are well aware of its positive effects on quality of life, health and well-being. The role recognized by patient associations is equally important: 80% consider them fundamental in supporting patients and caregivers. A slightly lower percentage (around 71%) consider them to be a fundamental player for those involved in research to understand the needs of patients. Thanks to Italian research, considered excellent or very good when compared at an international level, those interviewed see improvements in the health of citizens in the next 10-20 years.
“This year too we have confirmed our support for research and Italian patient communities – explains Frederico da Silva, Vice President and General Manager of Gilead Sciences Italia -. For over 35 years we have contributed to improving the health and quality of life of people affected by chronic diseases. We know it’s not enough. We need a collective effort that sees the industry collaborate with the other two key players in the health system, research bodies and associations. With a common goal – he adds – to improve the health of people and the community. For a healthier world, for everyone. This is the spirit of the calls, the one with which they were born 12 years ago and for which they continue to exist. A spirit that makes us feel close to the communities in which we operate.”
Since 2011, the year of the first edition of the calls – concludes the note – over 600 projects have been awarded, among the over 1550 presented. For their realization, a total of over 15.9 million euros were disbursed, which includes the funds allocated to the winning projects in this edition. Also in this edition, special prizes were awarded – a total of 40 thousand euros – to projects that stood out for their attention to ethical critical issues (for example the involvement of minor patients or fair gender representation among the staff dedicated to research). , for the involvement of the patient in the design and implementation of the project, for the use of social media and for projects that represent the continuation of initiatives already carried out in previous editions and which have proven to have a positive impact.
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