BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sanofi-aventis (Euronext: SAN) (NYSE: SNY) announced today that it has received CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ accreditation from the non-profit organization CEO Roundtable on Cancer, in recognition of the company's extensive efforts to encourage employees at all U.S. facilities (sanofi-aventis U.S. and sanofi pasteur) to take an active role in their health and reduce their risks of developing cancer. The CEO Cancer Gold Standard is awarded to companies that have met exceptionally high standards of cancer prevention, screening and care in the workplace through concrete action in five defined areas. With this accreditation, sanofi-aventis becomes the 34th company to be granted this honor since the program's inception in 2006.
"We are proud to be recognized by the CEO Roundtable on Cancer for our steadfast dedication to cancer prevention and improved cancer care," said Christopher A. Viehbacher, Chief Executive Officer of sanofi-aventis. "For more than 50 years, sanofi-aventis has worked to improve the lives of patients with cancer - not only through our strategic focus on the research and discovery of new therapeutic approaches in oncology, but also through our support and efforts to improve the health and wellness of our employees and their families."
To earn Gold Standard accreditation, an organization must establish programs to reduce cancer through: (1) discouraging tobacco use; (2) encouraging physical activity; (3) encouraging healthy diet and nutrition; (4) detecting cancer at its earliest stages; and (5) providing access to quality care and clinical trials. Programs established under the guidance of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer help reduce cancer mortality, and statistics show that the efforts recognized by the Gold Standard have a tangible impact on the cost of treating cancer, which totaled nearly $210 billion in 2005 in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Our Gold Standard certification acknowledges the commitment to health and wellness made by sanofi-aventis, as well as the specific programs developed with its own employees and family members in the U.S.," said William C. Weldon, chairman and chief executive officer of Johnson & Johnson, and chair of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer. "Through the leadership of global CEO Christopher Viehbacher, sanofi-aventis has demonstrated its unwavering dedication to fighting cancer - and we are pleased to welcome them into the ranks of this select group."
Sanofi-aventis's progressive health and cancer prevention efforts in the U.S. include tobacco-free campuses as of November 19th, 2009; free screening programs for skin and prostate cancer; mammogram scheduling assistance and distribution of breast self-exam cards; and CancerConnect, a new employee support program that provides employees with resources and support to help navigate the journey of their own or a loved one's cancer diagnosis. The company's recent donation of chemotherapy products to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health for clinical trial use, its continued sponsorship of the cancer awareness initiative Kaleidoscope (formerly known as Frosted Pink) as well as many other cancer education and awareness programs further underscore this accreditation.
The Gold Standard accreditation puts sanofi-aventis in the company of the following organizations also recognized as championing workplace-based efforts to eliminate cancer as a public health threat: American Cancer Society, American Legacy Foundation, AstraZeneca, C-Change, CIGNA, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Duke Medicine, Edelman, Enzon Pharmaceuticals, GHI, GlaxoSmithKline, Jenner & Block, Johnson & Johnson, The Lance Armstrong Foundation, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, Minot State University, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, The National Cancer Institute (NCI), Novartis, The Oncology Nursing Society, OSI Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, PhRMA, PPD, Quintiles Transnational, SAS Institute, The University of North Dakota, US Oncology, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Virtua Health and The Wistar Institute.
About the CEO Roundtable on Cancer
The CEO Roundtable on Cancer was founded in 2001, when former President George H.W. Bush challenged a group of executives to "do something bold and venturesome about cancer within your own corporate families." The CEOs responded with the CEO Cancer Gold Standard encouraging its widespread adoption in workplaces across the country. For more information on the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ and the accreditation process, please visit www.CancerGoldStandard.org.
About sanofi-aventis
Sanofi-aventis is a leading global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions to help improve the lives of patients. Sanofi-aventis is listed in Paris (Euronext: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY). For more information, www.sanofi-aventis.com.
Contact:
Noelle Boyd
sanofi-aventis U.S.
908-981-6489
SOURCE: sanofi-aventis
Web site: http://www.sanofi-aventis.us/
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