New Wyeth/Genetics Institute Program Teaches Children about Hemophilia

Nashville, Tenn., December 3, 2001 - Wyeth/Genetics Institute recently introduced the Puppets as Teachers in Hemophilia (PATH) program at the 53rd annual meeting of the National Hemophilia Foundation. The focus of PATH is a specially designed puppet for use by health care professionals to teach children with hemophilia about their disorder. The Hemophilia Training Puppet was developed in conjunction with Patient Puppets, Inc., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

The PATH puppet is custom-made for hemophilia education and allows children to see many of the conditions associated with hemophilia, such as a hematoma (swelling filled with blood), a healthy knee joint, and a bleeding joint. Some of the puppet's other features, an implantable venous access, an external catheter and a prominent vein, facilitate discussion of hemophilia treatment.

"Educating children with hemophilia is an important responsibility for all of us in the community, and we are happy to help by providing this excellent tool that can help children learn about hemophilia and its treatment," said Neal Fitzpatrick, Group Product Director, Wyeth/Genetics Institute.

Initially, there will be a limited supply of the hand-sewn PATH puppets, and the puppets will be provided to hemophilia treatment centers (HTCs) by Wyeth/Genetics Institute Hemophilia Specialty Managers (HSMs). Additional puppets will be made available as they are received from the manufacturer, and will be distributed to HTCs. Educational materials utilizing the puppet are slated for development in 2002.

Wyeth/Genetics Institute, the biotechnology research unit of Wyeth-Ayerst based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is engaged in the discovery, development, and commercialization of human pharmaceuticals through recombinant DNA and other technologies. Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, a division of American Home Products Corporation (NYSE: AHP), is a major research-oriented pharmaceutical company with leading products in the areas of women's health care, cardiovascular therapies, central nervous system drugs, anti-inflammatory agents, infectious disease, hemophilia, oncology, vaccines, and generic pharmaceuticals.

American Home Products Corporation (NYSE: AHP) is one of the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical and health care products companies. It is a leader in the discovery, development, manufacturing, and marketing of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications. It is also a leader in vaccines, biotechnology, and animal health care.

Wyeth/Genetics Institute's Puppets as Teachers in Hemophilia (PATH) program features a custom-made puppet for hemophilia education. The puppet allows children to see many of the conditions associated with hemophilia, such as a hematoma (swelling filled with blood), a healthy knee joint, and a bleeding joint.

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