Organon wants to help women take control of their birth control

Building on vision to create a better and healthier every day for every woman, Organon wants to empower women so they can be in full control of their sexual health

KIRKLAND, QC, Sept. 22, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Organon (NYSE: OGN), a global women's health company, will mark this year's World Contraception Day by launching an awareness campaign about the global public health issue of unplanned pregnancies. As part of this campaign, Organon Canada is partnering with the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) to ignite a conversation about the surprising rates of unplanned pregnancies in Canada and the importance to educate woman on how to choose the contraceptive method that fits their lifestyle the most.

While it is often believed that unplanned pregnancies are no longer an issue in Canada, nearly 50 per cent of pregnancies are unplanned, which  demonstrates that this remains an important public health issue.¹ In fact, women in the country spend at least half of their reproductive lives at risk of an unintended pregnancy.² Unplanned pregnancy can impact any woman anywhere — regardless of her social or economic background – and poses a significant cost to individuals and society, both directly and indirectly. It's been linked to adverse health outcomes for both the mother and her infant.³ Worldwide, unplanned pregnancy impacts approximately 121 million women each year.⁴ A 2019 study reported that globally, more than 1 billion women have a need for family planning, but for 270 million of them, that need for modern methods is unmet.⁵

"Women need to be empowered, through education, empathy and open discussions, to make the right decisions for their body and decide when they are ready to conceive, whether it's for the first time or after a previous pregnancy. We aim to help foster an environment where all women can have informed conversations with their healthcare professional," said Amy Cairns, Vice President of Organon Canada's Women's Health Business. 

Unintended pregnancies are not just a consequence of unprotected sex, but other factors can lead to them, including inadequate access or choice to the most appropriate contraceptive method. When it comes to contraceptive methods, it is not just a one size fits all situation. Women may benefit from learning more about the different methods available and discuss these options with their doctor to be able to make an informed decision.

"Canada continues to have a high rate of unintended pregnancies. It is critical that women have access to contraception methods that best meet their needs and their lifestyle, including options that have been proven to be safe and effective. Information and education can empower them to make that choice," said Dr. Jennifer Blake, Chief Executive Officer of the SOGC.

As a commitment to helping women in their reproductive health journey, Organon Canada and the SOGC are bringing together women, specialists and doctors in a virtual event on Wednesday, September 29 at 6:30 p.m. EDT to have a conversation about unplanned pregnancy and birth control. Falling In Love with the Right Contraception will be hosted by Dr. Jennifer Blake, the SOGC's CEO, and will feature Dr. Ashley Waddington and Dr. Julie Thorn.

The event will be accessible through the SOGC's Facebook page, where people are encouraged to share their perspective to help women take control of their full body and life, by taking control of their birth control and ultimately reduce unplanned pregnancy.
You can find out more about the event at https://fb.me/e/1bgc4Gy9l

About Organon
Organon (NYSE: OGN) is a global healthcare company formed through a spin-off from Merck, (NYSE: MRK) known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, focused on improving the health of women throughout their lives. Here for her health, the company has a portfolio of more than 60 medicines and products across a range of therapeutic areas. Led by the reproductive health portfolio coupled with an expanding biosimilars business and stable franchise of established medicines, Organon's products produce strong cash flows that will support investments in future growth opportunities in women's health, including business development like recently acquired Alydia Health, a medical device company focused on treating postpartum hemorrhage. In addition, Organon is pursuing opportunities to collaborate with biopharmaceutical innovators looking to commercialize their products by leveraging its scale and presence in fast growing international markets.

Organon has a global footprint with significant scale and geographic reach, world-class commercial capabilities, and approximately 9,000 employees with headquarters located in Jersey City, New Jersey.

For more information, visit organon.com/canada-en/ and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statement of Organon
Except for historical information herein, this news release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements about management's expectations about Organon's future financial performance and prospects. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "expects," "intends," "anticipates," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "will" or words of similar meaning. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and emergence of variant strains; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances; new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company's ability to accurately predict its future financial results and performance; the company's ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company's patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its registration statement on Form 10, available at the SEC's Internet site (www.sec.gov).

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1	The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. Unintended pregnancy. Pregnancy info Web site. https://www.pregnancyinfo.ca/your-pregnancy/special-consideration/unintended-pregnancy/. Accessed September 10, 2021
2	Black A, Guilbert E, Costescu D, et al. Canadian contraception consensus (Part 1 of 4): Chapter 1 – Contraception in Canada. J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2015;37(10 Suppl):S5-S12.
3	Oulman E, Kim THM, Yunis K, Tamim H. Prevalence and predictors of unintended pregnancy among women: an analysis of the Canadian Maternity Experiences Survey. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2015;15:260-267.
4	Bearak J, Painchalk A, Ganatra B, et al. Unintended pregnancy and abortion by income, region, and the legal status of abortion: estimates from a comprehensive model for 1990–2019. Lancet Glob Health. 2020;8(9):e1152-e1161.
5	Kantorová V, Wheldon MC, Ueffing P, Dasgupta ANZ (2020) Estimating progress towards meeting women's contraceptive needs in 185 countries: A Bayesian hierarchical modelling study. PLoS Med. 17(2): e1003026. *According to Kantorová et. al, modern methods of contraception include female and male sterilization, the intrauterine device (IUD), the implant, injectables, oral contraceptive pills, male and female condoms, vaginal barrier methods, the lactational amenorrhea method (LAM), emergency contraception and other modern methods such as the contraceptive patch or vaginal ring.

SOURCE Organon Canada Inc.

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