Shortly before the deadly earthquake struck Haiti, a shipment of Thermazene™ antibiotic cream and wound care supplies arrived at AmeriCares headquarters. The donation – just one of the many Covidien has made to AmeriCares in recent years – couldn't have come at a better time. Within days, the topical antibiotic, which prevents severe infections in burns and open wounds, was in the hands of doctors and nurses treating earthquake survivors in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

"Thermazene™ was one of the most highly sought after antibiotics in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake because so many patients suffered burns and lacerations as well as traumatic injuries," said AmeriCares Medical Director Dr. Frank Bia. "By preventing serious infections in patients, AmeriCares, with the support of Covidien's products, reduced the need for long-term antibiotic therapy and surgery."

Covidien is a leading global health care products company that manufactures, distributes and services a diverse range of industry-leading product lines in three segments: Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies. AmeriCares relies on donor companies like Covidien to preposition medicines and supplies in our warehouses so we can respond at a moment's notice when disasters strike.  Over the past 20 years, Covidien has supported AmeriCares health programs around the world with much needed product donations ranging from assorted wound care supplies and sutures to pharmaceuticals and respiratory and monitoring devices.

In addition to disaster relief, Covidien has extended our partnership to include support of a new, lifesaving dialysis program AmeriCares is launching for patients with acute kidney failure in Cambodia. Covidien has generously donated a two-year supply of catheters for the program.

Over the years Covidien and its affiliated brands Kendall, U.S. Surgical, Mallinckrodt and Valleylab, have donated over $150 million in medical products to AmeriCares.