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MEDIA CENTER The Population Council Joins Forces with Schering to Establish the International Contraceptive Access Foundation NEW YORK and BERLIN (4 May 2004) — The Population Council, an international, nonprofit, nongovernmental research organization, and the Schering AG Group announced today that its Finnish subsidiary, Schering Oy, has established the International Contraceptive Access (ICA) Foundation. The ICA Foundation will provide selected public-sector organizations with a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG IUS) on a not-for-profit basis to help serve the needs of women and families in resource-poor settings, primarily in developing countries. The foundation will be managed by a board of trustees comprising representatives from the Population Council, several international public organizations, and Schering. The board members will annually select organizations and programs to which the products will be donated or sold at a reduced price. The first distributions of the LNG IUS are expected to start later this year. “Both the Population Council and Schering hope that this foundation will help to increase the availability of this excellent contraceptive method to women with few financial resources,” said Population Council Vice President Sandra Arnold, Director of Corporate Affairs for the organization and President of the ICA Foundation. “We are proud to be associated with the Population Council and with other very reputable international organizations through the foundation,” said Matti Urho, Executive Vice President at Schering Oy and member of the board of trustees of the ICA Foundation. “Through the activities of the foundation, more women in developing countries will benefit from this innovative method of contraception.” The Population Council has developed numerous contraceptive and reproductive health products since its establishment in 1952. In licensing these products to pharmaceutical companies for manufacturing, marketing, and distribution, the Council always includes provisions for public-sector access, thereby making Council-developed products more readily available to women worldwide. ___________________ Levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG IUS). Development of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG IUS) was started in the late 1970s at the Population Council, with the aim to create a contraceptive combining the beneficial features of oral contraceptives and intrauterine devices. Clinical data are available for some 13,000 woman-years of use of the product. The product provides contraceptive protection for five years. It is as effective as female sterilization, yet fully reversible. The product is easy to use, as it requires no daily remembering. The LNG IUS offers women additional health benefits by substantially reducing menstrual blood loss. It is suitable for women in stable sexual relationships who have given birth and want a long-term, reliable contraceptive method and for whom the insertion of an intrauterine contraceptive is culturally acceptable. Population Council (www.popcouncil.org). The Population Council is an international, nonprofit, nongovernmental research organization that seeks to improve the well-being and reproductive health of current and future generations around the world and to help achieve a humane, equitable, and sustainable balance between people and resources. Established in 1952, the Council is governed by an international board of trustees. Its New York headquarters supports a global network of regional and country offices. The Council conducts biomedical, social science, and public health research and helps build research capacities in developing countries. Schering AG (www.schering.de/eng). Schering AG (FSE: SCH, NYSE: SHR) is a research-based pharmaceutical company. Its activities are focused on four business areas: Gynecology & Andrology, Diagnostics & Radiopharmaceuticals, Dermatology as well as Specialized Therapeutics for disabling diseases in the fields of the central nervous system, oncology and cardiovascular system. As a global player with innovative products Schering AG aims for leading positions in specialized markets worldwide. With in-house R&D and supported by an excellent global network of external partners, Schering AG is securing a promising product pipeline. Using new ideas, Schering AG aims to make a recognized contribution to medical progress and strives to improve the quality of life: making medicine work.
The Population Council is an international, nonprofit, nongovernmental research organization that seeks to improve the well-being and reproductive health of current and future generations around the world and to help achieve a humane, equitable, and sustainable balance between people and resources. The Council conducts biomedical, social science, and public health research and helps build research capacities in developing countries. Established in 1952, the Council is governed by an international board of trustees. Its New York headquarters supports a global network of regional and country offices. ### Media contacts
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