Baxter China Partners with Government to Increase Access to Renal Therapy

DEERFIELD, Ill., April 2, 2013 /3BL Media/ - Baxter China has partnered with the Chinese National Institute of Hospital Administration under an endorsement from the Ministry of Health to develop and deploy a sustainable care and delivery model for peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), or irreversible kidney failure, living in rural areas of the country. Peritoneal dialysis is a home-based therapy in which patients infuse a solution through a surgically implanted catheter in their abdomen into their peritoneum, or abdominal cavity, where it draws waste products across the peritoneal membrane (which serves as a natural filter) into the solution.

The program, named "Flying Angel" for its intent to address the barriers to access for dialysis therapy in rural areas, piloted in six provinces beginning in early 2012. The majority of ESRD patients in rural China have limited access to care and therapy due to low awareness levels of the disease and limited hospital infrastructure and personnel. China's Ministry of Health ranked ESRD among the country's top eight critical diseases in 2012. Currently only a minority of the estimated one million patients in China with ESRD receive regular treatment.

The program will focus on establishing a logistics distribution model, standards of care, public education programs, training for healthcare professionals and improving affordability for patients.

About Baxter
Baxter's commitment to sustainability spans more than three decades. The company is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and has been recognized by Corporate Responsibility magazine as one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens and Newsweek's Green Rankings as the leading U.S. healthcare company. Baxter is a member of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College, and the Ethics & Compliance Officer Association. The company endorses the Ceres principles and is an Organizational Stakeholder of the Global Reporting Initiative. Further information about Baxter's sustainability activities can be found at www.sustainability.baxter.com.

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX), through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures and markets products that save and sustain the lives of people with hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma, and other chronic and acute medical conditions. As a global, diversified healthcare company, Baxter applies a unique combination of expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to create products that advance patient care worldwide.