In 2007, Merck made a commitment to donate 200 million tablets of Cesol® 600 containing the active ingredient praziquantel to WHO for distribution to primarily African school children. This was intended to treat 27 million children for schistosomiasis in the most severely affected countries in Africa. The value of this donation totaled US$ 19 million (including logistics costs, which are also borne by Merck).
The project was originally scheduled to end in 2017, but Merck now intends to continue its efforts to fight schistosomiasis indefinitely. The company also plans to increase its annual donation of tablets containing the active ingredient praziquantel from 25 million to 250 million in the medium term.
Praziquantel is well tolerated and the most effective therapy to date for schistosomiasis. It is therefore on the WHO list of essential drugs. Praziquantel was jointly developed by Merck and Bayer in the 1970s. Our site in Mexico manufactures the tablets, and WHO coordinates distribution locally.
In addition to the tablet donation, Merck is also supporting an awareness program at African schools; it uses
comic booklets and
posters to explain the causes of schistosomiasis and teaches pupils how to prevent the disease. In mid-2011, a pilot project was launched at schools in Senegal and Malawi to gain experience with this awareness program.
As part of the donation program expansion, Merck is also working to optimize the formulation of the drug. In particular, this involves a tablet coating that will make it easier for school-age children to swallow the tablets and will better protect the drug against external influences. Furthermore, a hint of fruit flavor has been added to make the tablets more palatable for children, and the tablet size has been reduced.
Merck is also actively researching and developing a pediatric formulation of praziquantel that will increase therapy acceptance and improve treatment outcomes. Additionally, we have formed a partnership with the Tropical Disease Research (TDR) program of WHO; here, we are examining options for new therapies to treat other neglected tropical diseases, such as malaria, for which a lead compound has already been identified.
The Merck Praziquantel Donation Program is being conducted in cooperation with WHO and each partner contributes its specific expertise. Merck’s role is to supply WHO with the tablets and to cover the logistic costs of transporting the tablets to Africa. WHO steers the distribution of praziquantel, monitoring drug distribution and disclosure.
WHO provides information on the prevalence of infection and national treatment coverage in the countries where the Merck Praziquantel Donation Program has been implemented. WHO also discloses the number of school children repeatedly treated during the ten-year project, thus showing sustainable treatment success. The country-by-country data can be accessed on the
WHO PCT databank.
A steering committee consisting of members from WHO and Merck meets annually to monitor the progress and to decide on the further development of the Merck Praziquantel Donation Program.
