Millions of Women to Gain Access to Pfizer’s Contraceptive, Sayana® Press, through Novel Agreement

Today, Pfizer Inc., the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) have announced an agreement that will expand access to an injectable contraceptive product, Sayana^® Press, for women most in need in the world’s 69 poorest countries. Through this collaboration of public and private sector organizations that also includes the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and PATH, Sayana^® Press will be sold for US$1 per dose to qualified purchasers, who can ensure the poorest women of reproductive age in these countries have access to the contraceptive at reduced or no cost.

Sayana^® Press provides a lower-dose formulation of a three-month, injectable contraceptive Depo-Provera^® in a prefilled, single-use injection system. Sayana^® Press is delivered directly below the skin, rather than into the muscle like other injectable contraceptives, which allows the contraceptive to be administered by health workers with basic training to women at home or in low-resource settings.

USAID and the consortium of donors involved in the partnership will play an important role in ensuring that Sayana^® Press reaches women in the world’s poorest countries. In addition to assisting with procurement, the consortium will support country introductions and the delivery of Sayana^® Press to health facilities and community-based distribution networks. At the country level, the organizations will also work with local governments to ensure injectable contraceptive methods are included in reproductive health plans and budgets, coordinate health worker trainings, and help raise awareness about the availability of Sayana^® Press.

This public-private partnership marks an important step in our efforts to ensure that women and girls have access to a full range of family planning options that meet their needs. These efforts will contribute to Family Planning 2020’s goal to reach an additional 120 million more women and girls with family planning information, products, and services by 2020.

Read more:

• Learn more about the Sayana^® Press price reduction

Photo credit: PATH/Patrick McKern