INTERNATIONAL MEDICA FOUNDATION

The international medica foundation (intl-medica) informed the national institutes of health (nih) that intl-medica will be ceasing all activities in november of this year and will no longer be developing the rotashield oral rotavirus vaccine technology that was licensed from the nih. The primary purpose of intl-medica, a non-profit foundation, was the development and delivery of the rotashield oral rotavirus vaccine for the prevention of rotavirus-related morbidity and deaths in resource poor countries of the world. While a number of rotavirus vaccines have entered the market, rotaviruses are still a very common cause of severe diarrheal disease in young children throughout the world with over 200,000 deaths/year in children less than 5 years of age from this vaccine-preventable disease. Almost all of these children live in low-income countries. See continuation of direct charitable activity #1 on "general explanation attachment"