Merck Congratulates Ecuador as Second Country to Receive PAHO/WHO Verification of Elimination of River Blindness
October 03 2014 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and
Canada, applauds the government of Ecuador on being the second
country in the world to receive World Health Organization (WHO)
verification of the elimination of river blindness (onchocerciasis)
using MECTIZAN® (ivermectin).
Ecuador worked in partnership with the MECTIZAN Donation Program
and The Carter Center-sponsored Onchocerciasis Elimination Program
for the Americas, as well as the Pan American Health Organization,
the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health
Organization (PAHO/WHO), to eliminate onchocerciasis – one of the
leading causes of preventable blindness worldwide.
“We celebrate the achievement of this critical milestone with
the people of Ecuador and the MECTIZAN Donation Program and its
partners. The verification of Ecuador as the second country in the
world to eliminate the transmission of river blindness is a highly
motivating development because it reminds us of what is possible,”
said Kenneth C. Frazier, chairman and chief executive officer of
Merck. “Merck is proud to be a part of a committed and effective
alliance that continues to work toward the ultimate goal of
eliminating river blindness globally.”
For more information, please view the news releases from:
- Ecuador’s Ministry of Health
- PAHO/WHO and the Carter
Center-sponsored Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the
Americas
About the MECTIZAN Donation Program
In October 1987, Merck announced it would donate the medication
MECTIZAN to all who need it for as long as necessary until
onchocerciasis is eliminated as a public health problem. The
MECTIZAN Donation Program reaches more than 150 million people
annually.
In Latin America, since 1989, more than 13 million treatments of
donated MECTIZAN have been delivered by community health workers
and non-governmental organizations.
Learn more at www.mectizan.org.
About Merck
Today's Merck is a global healthcare leader working to help the
world be well. Merck is known as MSD outside the United States and
Canada. Through our prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic
therapies and animal health products, we work with customers and
operate in more than 140 countries to deliver innovative health
solutions. We also demonstrate our commitment to increasing access
to healthcare through far-reaching policies, programs and
partnerships. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect
with us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
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Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements
are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Merck’s
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protections for innovative products; and the exposure to
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actions.
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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 Merck’s 2013 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).
MerckJennifer Woodruff, 267-305-3550
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