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Price of exciting self-injectable contraceptive cut
9 May 2017
Drug company Pfizer has cut the price of an innovative self-administered contraceptive which allows women to have more control over their lives.
Over 1.5 million women in African countries such as Uganda and Burkina Faso are already using Sayana Press, an injectable contraceptive which dispenses with the use of a needle and syringe.
The long-acting progesterone-based contraceptive, which provides contraceptive cover for three months at a time, is licensed for use by the NHS in the UK - but Pfizer admits that uptake here has been "modest".
The price reduction, from $1 to $0.85 per dose is part of long-term commitment to helping fund a programme to widen access to contraception and allow women to have greater control over their lives. Organisations taking part, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Childrens Investment Fund Foundation, have helped drive the price down.
Sayana Press has been seen as a significant development for women living in rural parts of Africa. In Uganda, one of four pilot countries, 160,673 doses of Sayana Press were handed out during the past two years.
Welcoming the price cut, Dr Dinah Nakiganda-Busiku, from the Uganda Ministry of Health, said: "Women told us that self-injecting gave them more privacy. We hope to now make this part of our public procurement plan, so we dont have to rely on donors."
John Young, president of Pfizer Essential Health, said: "Our hope is that more women in the developing world will now have access to Sayana Press, as an option, to meet their specific family planning needs.
“We have seen the impact of our work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and other collaborating organisations, and look forward to our continued efforts to enable wider availability of Sayana Press. By improving access to contraceptive options, we can help empower women most in need to better plan their families.”
A London summit, five years ago, agreed an ambitious goal to enable 120 million more women around the world to access contraceptives. The price cut comes ahead of a big follow-up event in London this summer, which will track progress towards that goal in the light of recent news that the Trump administration in the US plans to cut aide to such initiatives.
Chris Elias, president of global development for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said: "The London summit will be an important follow-up event where we can look carefully at the significant progress thats been made.
"There is currently a lot of uncertainty about the US position. But we hope to continue what has been a long-standing collaboration.
"But there is a long history of bipartisan support for development aid - and particularly in supporting the health of women and children.
"Our foundation looks forward to working with the new administration." |
