Global health is a goal that the United Nations wants to achieve by 2030. Health care for all is also a linchpin in the global fight against poverty. In many parts of the world, millions of people still have no access to basic health care. The reasons for this are manifold: lack of medicines, poverty, a poor health care system and insufficient access to medical data.
Our leading positions in health and nutrition allow us to significantly contribute to finding solutions. We want people to be able to share in medical progress, regardless of their income or background. To achieve this, we use our scientific expertise, our products, our partnerships and our global networks.
According to the United Nations, gender equality will be a crucial factor in the world’s future economic and social development.
Modern contraception helps to strengthen the role of women. It helps them determine their own path in life, often with positive spillover effects on families and communities. To improve access to our products in developing and emerging countries (Access to Medicine), we have entered into a series of long-term partnerships focusing on aspects such as the provision of contraceptives and logistics support for both multilateral and bilateral family planning programs.
More than 200 million women in low- and middle-income countries still have no access to modern contraceptives. We are committed to providing this there to at least 100 million women by 2030. Supporting their family planning also means empowering them to exercise their rights as women and fulfill their potential, which is hugely important for the socioeconomic development of their domestic national economies.
With this goal in mind, we will expand our offering of long-acting products that are in especially high demand in international development projects, such as the Jadelle™ implant and the Mirena™ coil. As is currently the case for oral contraceptives and contraceptive injections, these products will be offered to our partners (such as the United Nations Population Fund, or UNFPA) at preferential prices. Further collaborations are planned to promote voluntary family planning programs. We pledge support for participating partners irrespective of the products used.
In general, Bayer is working on adapting its pricing policy towards local purchasing power and strengthening the patient access programs to increase the availability and affordability of Bayer products.
Global health systems are under constant cost pressure. An aging population, a growing number of lifestyle-related diseases and rising costs are preventing access to health care for more and more people and leaving behind the world’s underserved communities, particularly the women and children living there. At least half the world’s population is currently unable to access basic medical services, including self-care products.
Expanding access to self-care solutions and health education can help patients prevent disease and offer healthcare to communities where self-care might be the only option. With an initial focus on women’s health and expanding access to micronutrients for pregnant women and children, Bayer will increase the availability and affordability of our trusted brands and support self-care initiatives.
We have been actively combating tropical diseases for many years already. For example, we provide two of our active ingredients against African sleeping sickness and Chagas disease, which is prevalent in Latin America, free of charge to the World Health Organization (WHO). We also support programs for the control of diseases like malaria, dengue and the Zika virus which are transmitted by disease vectors such as mosquitoes.