Gustavsen Kenneth M, Colatrella Brenda D, McCoy Theresa
Merck & Co., Inc., 2000 Galloping Hill Road, Kenilworth, NJ 07033,USA.
Int Health. 2018 Mar 1;10(suppl_1):i3-i6. doi: 10.1093/inthealth/ihx038.
Established by MSD, also known as Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ USA in 1987, the Mectizan Donation Program (MDP) is the longest running disease-specific program of its kind. Initially aimed at control of onchocerciasis (river blindness), the company expanded its commitment through the MDP in 1998 to include lymphatic filariasis (LF). Both diseases are now candidates for elimination and the company is engaged in several global partnerships to help advance towards that goal. To support the steadily growing demand from country-led disease elimination programs, the company has put in place several administrative and operational improvements. In addition, the company is involved 'beyond the pill', including making financial and management contributions to partners such as the END Fund and the Expanded Special Project to Eliminate NTDs (ESPEN) to support the technical needs of elimination programs. While the time-bound elimination targets are challenging, clear progress is being made for both onchocerciasis and LF, with several national and subnational areas in Latin America and Africa having stopped transmission of one or both diseases. The company's donation of Mectizan and contributions of financial, management and technical resources reflect the company's long-standing commitment to pursue inventive ways to expand and enhance access to medicine. Continued support from MSD and other partners will enable countries to advance towards their elimination targets for LF and onchocerciasis.
美迪生捐赠计划（MDP）由默克公司（在美国新泽西州肯尼沃思市，也被称为默克股份有限公司）于1987年设立，是同类中开展时间最长的针对特定疾病的项目。该计划最初旨在控制盘尾丝虫病（河盲症），1998年公司通过该计划扩大了其承诺范围，将淋巴丝虫病（LF）纳入其中。这两种疾病目前都是可被消除的疾病，公司正参与多个全球伙伴关系以助力朝着这一目标前进。为满足各国主导的疾病消除计划不断增长的需求，公司已进行了多项行政和运营改进。此外，公司还“超越药品范畴”开展工作，包括向“终结基金”和“消除被忽视热带病扩展特别项目”（ESPEN）等伙伴提供资金和管理方面的支持，以满足消除计划的技术需求。虽然有时间限制的消除目标具有挑战性，但盘尾丝虫病和淋巴丝虫病都正在取得明显进展，拉丁美洲和非洲的几个国家及次国家级地区已经停止了其中一种或两种疾病的传播。公司捐赠美迪生药品以及提供资金、管理和技术资源，体现了公司长期以来致力于寻求创新方式来扩大和增加药品可及性的承诺。默克公司和其他伙伴的持续支持将使各国朝着淋巴丝虫病和盘尾丝虫病的消除目标迈进。
