The private sector, including the research-based pharmaceutical industry, has an important role to play in contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The fifth Millennium Development goal, Improve Maternal Health, sets a target of achieving universal access to reproductive health by 2015 and reducing maternal mortality, which are major contributors to the overall health of women, families and society.¹ While progress has been made, the rates of maternal mortality remain high in many countries, especially among the poorest and least-educated women.

Enabling couples to determine whether, when and how often to have children is vital to helping achieve safe motherhood, healthy families and healthy communities. Voluntary family planning helps protect the health of women by reducing high-risk pregnancies and helps protect the health of children and mothers by allowing sufficient time between pregnancies. Research has shown that appropriately spacing pregnancies helps reduce the risk of preterm birth.²

Access to contraceptives is an important aspect of family planning. At present, two-thirds of the women who would like to adopt a method of contraception cannot get it because of a shortage in donor funding and other barriers to getting supplies.³ At Merck, our multifaceted approach supports efforts to improve access to contraceptives for the women in most need. Merck is actively engaged where maternal mortality is high and the prevalence of contraceptive use is low.

¹ http://www.undp.org/mdg/goal5.shtml (accessed Aug. 19, 2011)

² http://news.yahoo.com/statement-march-dimes-institute-medicines-recommendations-clinical-preventive-215606810.html (accessed Aug. 19, 2011)

³ Reproductive Health Suppliers Coalition http://www.rhsupplies.org/en/about-rh-supplies.html (accessed Dec. 9, 2010)