ALLEVIATING THE SUFFERING CAUSED BY RIVER BLINDNESS AND LYMPHATIC FILARIASIS (ELEPHANTIASIS)

The Mectizan Donation Program was established in 1987 to oversee Merck's donation of Mectizan for the control of onchocerciasis worldwide. In 1998, Merck expanded the mandate of the program to include lymphatic filariasis elimination through the co-administration of Mectizan and albendazole, donated by GlaxoSmithKline, in African countries and Yemen where lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis are co-endemic.

Currently, more than 140 million Mectizan treatments are approved annually for onchocerciasis in Africa and Latin America and Yemen; 130 million Mectizan and albendazole treatments are approved for lymphatic filariasis in Africa and Yemen. The success of both programs is largely due to the partnerships that have evolved in support of both disease elimination initiatives.

Thanks to the donations of Mectizan and albendazole, and to broad partnerships, the potential to eliminate both diseases as public health problems is not only feasible, but increasingly within reach. Our vision is a future free of the debilitating effects of both diseases.