With all the current frenzy in the market, let’s talk about the Mectizan donation program run by Merck. I came across this while reading @aedmans book “Grow the Pie”. 1/

Onchocerciasis also known as river blindness was spreading rapidly in African countries causing permanent loss of vision and sufferers to commit suicide. 18m people were infected. In most affected villages, entire population was infected by age of 15 2/

Dr William Campbell of Merck lab along with his colleague Dr Aziz championed the clinical development of anti parasitic drug Mectizan from Ivermerctin, a drug which was originally developed to treat infections in livestock 3/

The drug proved so successful that a single tab completely cure the disease. It was approved in 1987, but the biggest hurdle remained. Who would pay the billions needed to produce and distribute it given the affected were in the poorest areas of the world 4/

Roy Vagelos, Mercks CEO at the time asked WHO to fund the program but the answer was NO. He also tried to obtain funding from Government agencies without much success. In Oct 1987, Merck under his leadership announced that they would give the drug for free.5/

To anyone who needed it anywhere in the World. This unprecedented decision has helped saved lives of millions. Today the program reaches over 300m people and more than 2.7 billion treatments have been donated since 1987. 6/