Elton John AIDS Foundation joins forces with the Mylan Relay for Hope to accelerate the fight against HIV/AIDS

TORONTO, April 17, 2015 /CNW/ - Mylan N.V. (Nasdaq: MYL) and the Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) are proud to announce that the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) will partner with them for the Mylan Relay for Hope to raise funds and awareness for Canadians and people worldwide who are living with or at risk of HIV/AIDS.

The Relay begins April 21 in St. John's, NL, and ends in Hope, BC, in mid-October, covering a distance of about 8,500 km. The relay will consist of 35 runners divided into provincial teams, each responsible for running the route in their province before "passing the baton" to the next provincial team to undertake its leg of the westward journey.

"It is a sad reality that there are 35 million people who are living with HIV/AIDS worldwide," said Monique Doolittle-Romas, chief executive officer of CAS.  "We commend the important work that the Elton John AIDS Foundation is accomplishing on the world stage for communities living with, affected by, or at risk of HIV/AIDS. We are excited to join forces in partnership with EJAF to raise awareness and much-needed funds for vulnerable populations touched by this disease across the world. Together, I am confident that we can bring issues of HIV/AIDS to the forefront of public awareness here at home and abroad."

"We are so very pleased to support the Mylan Relay for Hope," said EJAF founder Sir Elton John. "This kind of initiative is urgently needed in many countries around the world to raise awareness about this deadly disease that has killed so many and to raise funds to help treat people living with HIV/AIDS – not just in Canada, but everywhere around the world."

With more than 20 years of expertise in the fight against HIV, EJAF now is one of the largest and most respected charities in its field.  EJAF's core values reflect its founder and chairman's fundamental commitment to respect the rights and dignity of every human being, strive to understand the realities of their daily lives, and provide help and assistance without judgment.  EJAF confronts HIV/AIDS directly by supporting HIV testing programs, connecting people in need with life-saving treatments and medical care, and providing them with the knowledge and skills to stay healthy.  EJAF also supports projects that address the root causes of the AIDS epidemic – poverty, homophobia, racism, drug addiction, stigma and discrimination, and lack of information and access to care and treatment.

"As a Canadian," said EJAF chairman David Furnish, "I am personally committed to ending the AIDS epidemic here in my home country and abroad. Supporting the Mylan Relay for Hope is a great way to draw public attention to this issue and raise urgently needed dollars to end the epidemic."

Proceeds from the Mylan Relay for Hope campaign will fund critical programs organized by the Canadian AIDS Society and its members across Canada. Today, with the partnership of EJAF, Mylan is proud to announce that proceeds will also be used abroad to fight HIV/AIDS in regions that are under-served by current efforts.

About the Elton John AIDS Foundation
At the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF), we believe that AIDS can be beaten.  We act on that belief by raising funds for effective programs and policies, and also by speaking out with honesty and compassion about the realities of people's lives.  Sir Elton John created EJAF over twenty years ago, first in the United States in 1992 and then in the United Kingdom in 1993.  Through hard work and with the help of our network of kind, amazing, creative, and generous friends and supporters, the two foundations together have raised more than $321 million over the past two decades to combat stigma, prevent infections, provide treatment and services, and motivate governments to end AIDS.  The U.S. foundation focuses its efforts on programs in the United States, the Americas, and the Caribbean, while the U.K. foundation funds HIV-related work in Europe, Asia, and Africa.  Join us in speaking out, taking action, and contributing to our efforts to achieve a world without AIDS.  For more information, please visit www.ejaf.org.     

About Mylan
Mylan is a global pharmaceutical company committed to setting new standards in healthcare. Working together around the world to provide 7 billion people access to high quality medicine, we innovate to satisfy unmet needs; make reliability and service excellence a habit; do what's right, not what's easy; and impact the future through passionate global leadership. We offer a growing portfolio of around 1,400 generic pharmaceuticals and several brand medications. In addition, we offer a wide range of antiretroviral therapies, upon which approximately 40% of HIV/AIDS patients in developing countries depend. We also operate one of the largest active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturers and currently market products in about 145 countries and territories. Our workforce of approximately 30,000 people is dedicated to creating better health for a better world, one person at a time. Learn more at www.mylan.ca.  

About the Canadian AIDS Society
The Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) is a national coalition of community-based AIDS organizations across Canada. Since 1986, CAS has served as the national voice for people and communities living with HIV/AIDS. The national office based in Ottawa, Ontario, facilitates the development of programs, services and resources for its member organizations, and provides a national framework for community-based participation in Canada's response to HIV/AIDS. CAS is dedicated to strengthening the response to HIV/AIDS across all sectors of society, and to enriching the lives of people and communities living with HIV/AIDS. For more information, please visit www.cdnaids.ca.

SOURCE Mylan Relay for Hope

For more information about the Mylan Relay for Hope: Jay Reyes, Torchia Communications, [email protected], Office: 416-341-9929 ext. 222, Cell: 905-251-5625; For more information about Mylan: Nina Devlin, VP Global Communications, Mylan, [email protected], 724-514-1968; For more information about the Elton John AIDS Foundation: Grace Munns, BerlinRosen, [email protected], 646-452-5637