why did merck donate mectizan

by Kole Reilly 3 min read

In 1987, Merck committed to donate Mectizan – as much as needed, for as long as needed – with the goal to help eliminate river blindness.Jan 6, 2021

Is Merck's Mectizan Donation Program an example of corporate philanthropy?

Jan 06, 2021 · In order to reach this goal, Merck leaders recognized that many organizations with unique skills would need to work together as a team. To enable this collaboration, Merck established the Mectizan Donation Program (MDP), a ground-breaking public-private partnership. Operating from the Atlanta-based Task Force for Global Health, the MDP coordinates technical …

When did Merck donate Mectizan to the World Bank?

Mar 04, 2016 · Since 1987 Merck Has Donated More than Two Billion Treatments of Mectizan to Help Eliminate River Blindness and Lymphatic Filariasis Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that the company, together with the Mectizan Donation Program, is donating $1 million to the END Fund in support of efforts in …

What is Mectizan® (ivermectin)?

In 1987, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A. * committed to donating Mectizan—as much as needed for as long as needed—with the goal to help control river blindness. Today, this unprecedented drug donation is helping to eliminate transmission of the disease—an unfathomable concept when Merck first donated Mectizan.

What is the history of Mectizan?

The Mectizan Donation Program is an international program to eliminate river blindness and lymphatic filariasis (LF), primarily funded by Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A.,* with additional support from GSK. For LF, Mectizan® is co-administered with albendazole, which is donated by GSK. | *Merck is known as MSD outside the USA and Canada.

Did Merck have an ethical obligation to develop and distribute Mectizan for free?

Merck has made a commitment to provide MECTIZAN for river blindness wherever necessary, for as long as necessary. For organizations that supply MECTIZAN via community health programs, the MECTIZAN Expert Committee requires a minimum five-year commitment before agreeing to supply the medicine.

What is Mectizan used for?

It is used to treat river blindness (onchocerciasis) and a certain type of diarrhea (strongyloidiasis). It may also be used for some other kinds of worm infections. Ivermectin appears to work by paralyzing and then killing the offspring of adult worms. It may also slow down the rate at which adult worms reproduce.May 19, 2003

Who invented the cure for river blindness?

Scientists William C Campbell and Satoshi Omura have been awarded the Nobel prize for medicine for their discovery of a way to treat river blindness. Campbell and Omura together discovered a group of compounds known as avermectins, the derivatives of which are used to treat and prevent river blindness.

Is Merck a socially responsible company with this concern on treating river blindness?

Merck was obliged under the corporate social responsibility to develop the drug. The impact of the disease to patients was overwhelming that it led to suicide and blindness. It would be inhumane to neglect the discovery because it lacked a potential market.May 2, 2020

Is ivermectin and Mectizan the same thing?

The results with single doses of the pill proved the effectiveness of the drug against river blindness, and ivermectin was approved for human use in 1987 under the name Mectizan®.Dec 2, 2016

Can I take Mectizan?

* manufactures Mectizan, and Mectizan is approved for use, in the appropriate dose, specifically for the treatment of onchocerciasis (river blindness) and lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis).Jan 29, 2021

Who developed Mectizan?

Mohammed Aziz, championed the clinical development of Mectizan. Dr. Aziz led the collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) in the early 1980s to design and implement field studies in West Africa that, ultimately, proved the effectiveness of the drug against river blindness.Jan 6, 2021

What is the dilemma that confronts the management of Merck?

Moser. The ethical dilemma in Merck and River Blindness is whether to pursue research that may or may result in profit, or to choose the safe option and go for profit rather than researching the drug. The drug could possibly lead to curing the deadly and detrimental disease known as River Blindness.

Can ivermectin cure river blindness?

More than 99% of infected people live in 31 African countries. Ivermectin, the only drug currently in use, distributed annually to entire communities living in endemic areas, has significantly reduced river blindness, but the global campaign to eliminate the disease requires also more effective drugs.Jun 14, 2018

Is Merck an ethical company?

We are committed to the highest standards of ethics and integrity. We are responsible to our customers, to our competitors, to distributors and suppliers, to shareholders, and to the communities we serve worldwide. In discharging our responsibilities, we do not take professional or ethical shortcuts.

Is Merck socially responsible?

Colatrella: “At Merck, we are defining corporate [social] responsibility as a commitment to developing creative and innovative solutions to global health challenges while at the same time building our business in a sustainable way.Jan 29, 2016

Can Mectizan stop itching?

Mectizan treatment is therefore beneficial for the control of troublesome itching and for reducing the prevalence and severity of skin disease causes by Onchocerca. it is recommended that mass distribution of Mectizan to communities in the study areas be carried out at 6-monthly intervals for maximum efficacy.

How long does it take for ivermectin to work on scabies?

Treatment was evaluated at intervals of 2 and 4 weeks. A single dose of ivermectin provided a cure rate of 62.4%, which increased to 92.8% with 2 doses at a 2-week interval. Treatment with two applications of permethrin with a one week interval was effective in 96.9% of patients.

Is doxycycline an antibiotic?

Doxycycline: antibiotic to treat bacterial infections - NHS.

Is meclizine an antibiotic?

Meclizine is an antihistamine that is used to prevent and treat nausea, vomiting, and dizziness caused by motion sickness. It may also be used to reduce dizziness and loss of balance (vertigo) caused by inner ear problems.

What is the Mectizan donation program?

The Mectizan Donation Program is the longest-running, disease-specific,#N#drug-donation program and public-private partnership of its kind. In#N#1998, Merck expanded the program to include the elimination of another#N#disease, lymphatic filariasis. The program reaches more than 250 million#N#people in the affected areas annually, with more than 2 billion#N#treatments donated since 1987.

What is river blindness?

us, with the hope for continued momentum building towards elimination.”. River blindness is a parasitic infection that can cause intense itching, skin discoloration, rashes, and eye disease that often leads to. permanent blindness. Common in many parts of Africa, Latin America and.

When was ivermectin first used?

These gratifying results led Merck to commercialize ivermectin as a veterinary treatment beginning in 1981 . Starting in 1987, the drug was also marketed to the public under the brand name Heartgard ® (now sold by the animal-health company Merial) to prevent heartworms in dogs.

Where was ivermectin discovered?

The American Chemical Society designated the discovery of ivermectin as a National Historic Chemical Landmark at Merck & Co., Inc., in Rahway, New Jersey, on December 2, 2016. The commemorative plaque reads:

What causes river blindness?

The cycle of parasitic disease often begins with a bug bite. Blackflies that breed in fast-flowing rivers carry the larvae of the worm that causes onchocerciasis (also known as river blindness) in humans. When an infected fly bites a person, the fly deposits worm larvae on the person’s skin.

Who was Max Tishler?

In 1971, Ōmura took a sabbatical in the laboratory of Max Tishler (1906–1989), an eminent professor of chemistry at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. A year earlier, Tishler had retired from an illustrious research career at the pharmaceutical company Merck.

Is river blindness preventable?

Individuals who have become blind due to onchocerciasis (river blindness) are commonly led by young people. The disease is among the leading causes of preventable blindness in the world. Ivermectin was approved for human use against river blindness in 1987.