A new initiative to expand injectable contraceptive use to 69 of the world’s poorest countries could provide a model for future global health partnership and innovation, global health experts argue.
U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer took its widely used injectable contraceptive Depo-Provera and repackaged it for the developing world, while other organizations across the public and private sectors provided funding, medical training and transportation to ensure access to rural areas. The consortium combines the resources of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. Agency for International Development, UNFPA, PATH and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, among others.
“In my memory I don’t think we have introduced any other contraceptive in the way we have introduced this one with such a broad partnership,” Jagdish Upadhay, a commodity security branch chief at UNFPA, told Devex.
About the author
Molly Andersmollyanders_dev
Molly Anders is a former U.K. correspondent for Devex. Based in London, she reports on development finance trends with a focus on British and European institutions. She is especially interested in evidence-based development and women’s economic empowerment, as well as innovative financing for the protection of migrants and refugees. Molly is a former Fulbright Scholar and studied Arabic in Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco.