CSL Behring Medical Product Donation Helps Meet Critical Need for Ongoing Relief Effort in Haiti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Direct Relief International announced today that CSL Behring has donated life-saving medicines valued at more than $100,000 to assist earthquake victims in Haiti who are at risk of tetanus or hepatitis B infections. The products will be used in clinics at Hopital Albert Schweitzer in Deschapelles.

The donation, consisting of 5,000 syringes of Tetagam® P and 600 5ml ampoules of Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin, will help treat patients who have suffered skin punctures or other exposure that could create opportunities for tetanus and hepatitis B to set in. This is CSL Behring's first donation to Direct Relief International, which helps local health facilities in over 70 countries treat people affected by poverty, disaster, and civil unrest.

Temperature-controlled cold-chain transportation of the products is being handled by Safcomar Overseas AG, Envirotainer GmbH and Air France.

"The challenge of treating rare and serious medical conditions is often an ongoing one," said Peter Turner, President of CSL Behring. "Such is the case in helping the people of Haiti who are still contending with the results of a natural disaster of enormous proportions. CSL Behring is pleased to be in a position today to provide essential immunoglobulin therapies to Haitians who can benefit from them."

"This donation from CSL Behring comes at a time when the need for medical therapies and supplies remains acute," said Ian Rawson, Managing Director of Hopital Albert Schweitzer. "These valuable products will help us prevent the spread of communicable disease that often occurs after a natural disaster such as the earthquake Haiti has experienced. Personnel now working in our on-site clinics, as well as those delivering healthcare services out in the field will benefit greatly, thanks to CSL Behring."

In the four months following the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti's capital, Direct Relief has delivered emergency medical assistance valued at more than $38.5 million (wholesale) – over 230 tons – to more than 40 healthcare providers. Having worked in Haiti since 1964, Direct Relief had strong relationships with the country's largest hospitals and clinics, allowing the organization to rapidly deploy resources to where they were needed most.

About Direct Relief International

Founded in 1948, Direct Relief is a Santa Barbara, California-based nonprofit organization focused on improving quality of life by bringing critically needed medicines and supplies to local healthcare providers worldwide. Direct Relief has provided more than $1 billion in privately funded humanitarian aid since 2000, including more than $150 million in assistance in the United States. It has earned a fundraising efficiency score of 99 percent or better from Forbes for the past eight years, and is ranked by the Chronicle of Philanthropy as California's largest international nonprofit organization based on private support. For more information, please visit www.DirectRelief.org.

About CSL Behring

CSL Behring is a leader in the plasma protein therapeutics industry. Committed to saving lives and improving the quality of life for people with rare and serious diseases, the company manufacturers and markets a range of plasma-derived and recombinant therapies worldwide.

CSL Behring therapies are indicated for the treatment of coagulation disorders including hemophilia and von Willebrand disease, primary immune deficiencies and inherited respiratory disease. The company's products are also used in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation, burn treatment and to prevent hemolytic diseases in newborns. CSL Behring operates one of the world's largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. CSL Behring is a subsidiary of CSL Limited (ASX: CSL), a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. For more information, visit www.cslbehring.com.

SOURCE CSL Behring; Direct Relief International