Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany, will supply up to 110 million cycles of oral contraceptives yearly for family planning programmes supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in developing countries worldwide. This will allow more than 8 million women per year to have access to modern and reliable hormonal contraception. The contract was signed with the organization John Snow, Inc (JSI) that implements international family planning programmes for USAID.

Bayer Schering Pharma will provide the high-quality oral contraceptives Microgynon 30 ED Fe and Microlut. These products will be distributed in USAID-supported public and social marketing programmes in Africa, Asia and Middle East, Europe and Latin America.

"As the market leader in hormonal contraceptive products, Bayer Schering Pharma is especially committed to enabling people to carry out conscious family planning," said Dr Ulrich Koestlin, member of the Board of Management of Bayer Schering Pharma AG. "The right to have a baby by choice, not by chance, is crucial to families worldwide. Our company wants to contribute to access to medicines efforts around the world and is, therefore, happy to support USAID with their family planning field programmes."

Conscious family planning is key in the promotion of social and economic progress. It contributes toward reducing the health risk for women in childbirth and pregnancy and toward avoiding unwanted pregnancies and abortions.

"USAID has provided commodities for family planning and reproductive health activities since the mid-1970s. Since then, contraceptive and condom use rates around the world have increased, thanks to USAID and other international donors," said Bonita Blackburn, public health advisor of USAID. "USAID welcomes Bayer Schering Pharma and its commitment to providing safe, reliable oral contraceptive pills to hundreds of family planning programmes worldwide in support of USAID's global mission."

Bayer Schering Pharma will deliver up to 50 million cycles per year of Microgynon 30 ED Fe and Microlut for public markets and up to 60 million cycles per year for social marketing programmes for distribution in more than 50 USAID-supported programs worldwide. Microgynon 30 ED Fe is the most widely prescribed oral contraceptive for family planning programs worldwide.

Family planning is an important part of Bayer Schering Pharma's social engagement. For almost 50 years the company has been supporting programs globally in a network of public-private-partnerships. It is active in more than 130 countries, giving people access to a wide range of family planning methods. Since 1961 Bayer Schering Pharma has supplied 2.5 billion cycle packages of oral contraceptives to family planning organizations and programs in developing countries and has provided consultancy in reproductive health matters.

Through its long-term and sustained commitment, Bayer Schering Pharma wants to make a substantial contribution to achieving the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals: strengthening the position of women, reducing child mortality, and improving maternal health by 2015. In this way the company is also helping to achieve the UN World Population Conference's target of guaranteeing worldwide access to fertility-control methods by 2015.

The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany.

Bayer Schering Pharma is a worldwide leading specialty pharmaceutical company. Its research and business activities are focused on the following areas: Diagnostic Imaging, General Medicine, Specialty Medicine and Women's Healthcare.