Bayer and USAID Partner to Make Microgynon Fe Oral Contraceptive Available and Affordable in Tanzania
Launch of new public-private partnership
between Bayer HealthCare and the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID)
Access to Microgynon® Fe at affordable prices
for middle income women in Tanzania
Roll-out of initiative planned in a number of
Sub-Saharan countries by 2014
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, November 22, 2011 –
Microgynon® Fe - is now available in Tanzanian pharmacies at a significantly
lower price as a result of an innovative public-private partnership between
Bayer HealthCare and the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID).
The Microgynon brand is the world’s most widely used oral
contraceptive.
The price enables middle-income couples to access a quality,
affordable family planning product. The initiative promotes the benefits of
family planning in improving the health of women and their children.
This
partnership was successfully launched in Ethiopia in December 2010, Uganda in
September 2011, and now in Tanzania in a ceremony with Bayer HealthCare, USAID,
and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on November 18, 2011.
“The partnership is designed to make more
affordable family planning choices available to women through the private
sector and address the growing gap between the demand for contraceptives and
the ability of governments and donors to provide commodities”, said Dr. Jörg
Reinhardt, Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer HealthCare.
Family
planning allows couples to plan their families as they desire, reduces the
risks from unwanted and/or high-risk pregnancies, and improves the health of
mothers and their children by allowing time between pregnancies.
After the introduction of Microgynon® Fe in
Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania, the Bayer-USAID partnership plans to expand
their initiative to several additional Sub-Saharan countries by 2014. USAID’s
Deputy Mission Director, Mr. Daniel Moore, emphasized the importance of
public-private partnerships in helping governments meet their Millennium
Development Goals.
“We are pleased that this important initiative between USAID
and Bayer HealthCare is being launched in Tanzania.
The private sector has an
important role to play in contributing to sustainable development, and in this
case, by ensuring that Tanzanian women have access to a sustainable supply of
quality, affordable oral contraceptives.”
“Combined oral contraceptives are 99%
effective when used consistently and correctly. It also provides women with a
reversible method that is easy to discontinue and has a rapid return to
fertility.
Microgynon Fe is being used by millions of
women around the world and is well known and trusted by medical professionals”,
said Dr. Projestine Muganyizi. Women interested in finding out more information
about Microgynon Fe should talk with their nearest private healthcare provider.
Microgynon Fe is manufactured in Germany by
Bayer HealthCare and imported to Tanzania by Phillips Distributors Ltd.
About Bayer HealthCare
The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with
core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech
materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subgroup of Bayer AG with annual sales of EUR
16.9 billion (2010), is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the
healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany.
The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care,
Medical Care and Pharmaceuticalsdivisions.
Bayer HealthCare’s aim is to
discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health
worldwide. Bayer HealthCare has a global workforce of 55,700 employees (Dec 31,
2010) and is represented in more than 100 countries. Find more information at
www.bayerhealthcare.com.
About USAID
The American people, through the U.S. Agency
for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian
assistance in Tanzania and worldwide for 50 years. In September of 2009, the
Global Health Bureau’s Office of Population and Reproductive Health signed a
five-year collaboration agreement between USAID and Bayer HealthCare. The
Contraceptive Security Initiative is an innovative public-private partnership
that seeks to address the ever increasing need for affordable contraceptives.
For more information about USAID's programs, please visit: www.usaid.gov.
Contact:
Timothy Manchester Ryan Cherlin
Senior Family Planning Advisor Strategic Communications Officer
USAID Tanzania, US Embassy – Tanzania USAID, Washington D.C. – USA
Phone: +255 22 229 4455 Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs
Email: tmanchester@usaid.gov Phone: +1 202 712 0845
Email:
_ HYPERLINK "mailto:rcherlin@usaid.gov" __rcherlin@usaid.gov_
Robert Mkane
Bayer Representative Ulrike Schroeder
Phillips Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Corporate Communications
Dar es Salaam – Tanzania Bayer Pharma AG, Berlin – Germany
Mobile: +255 763 438 467 Phone: +49 30 468 192206
E-mail: robert.mkane@gmail.com E-mail: ulrike.schroeder@bayer.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on
current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management.
Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to
material differences between the actual future results, financial situation,
development or performance of the company and the estimates given here.
These
factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available
on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability
whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to
future events or developments.
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