Merck Donates $500,000 to Support River Blindness and Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination Efforts
October 22 2020 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
Grants Will Be Administered through the
MECTIZAN® Donation Program and Will Support Precautionary Measures
Required to Prevent the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 During Mass Drug
Administration Programs for These Two Diseases
Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and
Canada, and the MECTIZAN® Donation Program (MDP), announced today a
$500,000 cash donation to support non-governmental organization
(NGO) partners working to eliminate river blindness
(onchocerciasis) and lymphatic filariasis (LF). The funds are being
provided by Merck and will be administered through an application
process managed by the MDP, a public-private partnership that
oversees elimination efforts of these two diseases. This funding
will be offered in the form of grants to support the implementation
of the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) recommended
precautionary measures to decrease the risk of the spread of
SARS-CoV-2 during mass drug administration (MDA).
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the full release here:
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In April, in response to the pandemic, WHO issued interim
guidance to countries to suspend community interventions targeting
the elimination of neglected tropical diseases, including MDA.
After months of careful assessment, in July, WHO released a
decision-making framework for resuming MDA during the ongoing
pandemic. The framework is based on a two-step approach: a
risk–benefit assessment to decide if the planned activity should
proceed; and, if activities move forward, a list of precautionary
measures that should be applied to help decrease the risk of
transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and strengthen the capacity of the
health system to manage any residual risk. These important
precautionary measures will result in an increase in program costs,
which may be a burden to some countries and their implementing
partners.
“The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is especially challenging for
communities that continue to be threatened by river blindness and
lymphatic filariasis. We can’t lose momentum and must strengthen
our global partnerships to eliminate these infections,” said Dr.
Julie L. Gerberding, chief patient officer at Merck. “We hope these
grants will help sustain the implementation of good public health
measures and protect people’s safety as they fight against these
preventable diseases during this especially difficult time.”
Dr. Yao Sodahlon, MDP Director, stated "As the global community
continues to battle the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, we remain committed to
the health of our staff, the health of our partners, and the health
of endemic communities. This grant opportunity will facilitate the
implementation of robust safety measures when mass drug
administration with MECTIZAN resumes.”
Through the MDP and its partners -- including the ministries of
health in endemic countries, impacted communities, NGOs, WHO, and
donors -- more than 300 million people are reached each year. Since
the inception of the program in 1987, Merck has donated more than 4
billion treatments.
More information on the eligibility and the application process
can be found on the MDP website.
About Merck
For more than 125 years, Merck, known as MSD outside of the
United States and Canada, has been inventing for life, bringing
forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most
challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve
lives. We demonstrate our commitment to patients and population
health by increasing access to health care through far-reaching
policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be
at the forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that
threaten people and animals – including cancer, infectious diseases
such as HIV and Ebola, and emerging animal diseases – as we aspire
to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in
the world. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect
with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
About the MECTIZAN® Donation Program
The MECTIZAN® Donation Program (MDP) was established at the Task
Force for Global Health in 1987 to provide medical, technical and
administrative oversight of the donation of MECTIZAN® by Merck for
the treatment of onchocerciasis. In 1998, MDP expanded its mandate
to include the donation of MECTIZAN to be distributed in
conjunction with albendazole (donated by GSK) for the elimination
of lymphatic filariasis in onchocerciasis co-endemic areas. In
2017, MDP’s mandate was subsequently expanded to include MECTIZAN
donation for the implementation of the WHO recommended triple
therapy (Ivermectin + Diethylcarbamazine + Albendazole or IDA) to
accelerate the elimination of LF in countries where river blindness
is not endemic.
Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc.,
Kenilworth, N.J., USA
This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J.,
USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within
the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are
based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s
management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties.
If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or
uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially
from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general
industry conditions and competition; general economic factors,
including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations;
the impact of the global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease
(COVID-19); the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and
health care legislation in the United States and internationally;
global trends toward health care cost containment; technological
advances, new products and patents attained by competitors;
challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining
regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict
future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays;
financial instability of international economies and sovereign
risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and
other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to
litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory
actions.
The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause
results to differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s 2019
Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company’s other filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s
Internet site (www.sec.gov).
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201022005039/en/
Media Contacts: Merck: Patrick Ryan (973) 275-7075
Carol Richardson (908) 456-1440 MDP: Joni Lawrence
jlawrence@taskforce.org (404) 687-5610
Investor Contacts: Peter Dannenbaum (908) 740-1037
Michael DeCarbo (908) 740-1807
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