June 10, 2022 1:10 am EDT

Report lays out blueprint for achieving Organon’s purpose and business imperatives to help women and girls achieve their promise through better health

• Launch of Her Promise ESG platform creates a framework by which the company will advance innovation and progress in women’s health and contribute to UN Sustainable Development Goals  
• Organon Her Promise Access Initiative aims to provide 100 million girls and women in low -and –middle –income countries with affordable access to contraceptive options by 2030¹.
• Grant to global NGO Women Deliver for their Young Leaders program and other advocacy work including support for young people around the world to advocate for and advance women’s health and gender equality

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Organon (NYSE: OGN), a global women’s healthcare company, which employs 88 people in Australia, today announced the publication of its inaugural Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report (attached) for 2021. The global report introduces the company’s ESG platform, known as Her Promise, and details how the company is working to help women and girls achieve the full potential of their promise through better health. The publication of the ESG Report and launch of Her Promise coincides with Organon’s one year anniversary and reflects the company’s vision to create a better and healthier every day for every woman around the world.

As the only global women’s healthcare company of its kind, Organon is well positioned to help address several current and growing women’s health challenges. For example, worldwide modelling estimates that nearly half of all pregnancies worldwide – about 121 million in total – are unintended². Through Her Promise, Organon is making focused investments and forming strategic partnerships with the goal of introducing and expanding access to health solutions that improve women’s health and advance gender equity, inside and outside the company.

In Australia, unintended pregnancy is also a common occurrence, with one in four women reporting they have had an unintended pregnancy in the past 10 years³. The rates are even higher in rural and remote locations, with women in rural areas 1.4 times more likely to experience an unintended pregnancy⁴.  For younger people aged 18-32 years, the rate is higher, with 40.8 per cent reporting an unintended first pregnancy⁴.

“In just one year, Organon has made considerable progress in addressing gender-related disparities in health by listening to women and investing in areas where high unmet needs exist. Since our launch, we have focused on treatment gaps that need to be addressed, like unintended pregnancy, fertility, post-partum hemorrhage, pre-term labor, endometriosis and bacterial vaginosis, and will continue to strive to deliver innovation, improve access and expand choice for treatments areas that uniquely or disproportionately affect women,” says Kevin Ali, Organon’s Chief Executive Officer. “The goals stated in our first ESG Report create a roadmap for the future of how we will continue to propel forward and partner to transform the current women’s health environment.”

“Here in Australia, we are proud of the impact we are already having empowering Australians to decide if, when and how they have children through our contraceptive and fertility business units,” Organon Australia Managing Director Nirelle Tolstoshev said. “Our commitment to making a positive social impact extends beyond our portfolio, and we are in the final stages of determining our local not-for-profit partnerships, with a focus on advancing her health and gender equity, and tackling climate change. We are also using our voice to amplify calls for Reconciliation and recently marked National Sorry Day by signing the Uluru Statement from the Heart.”

On its one-year anniversary, Organon is making the following goals to achieve Her Promise:

• To improve access to low-cost contraceptives in 69 of the world’s least developed countries. Through the Organon Her Promise Access Initiative, Organon is working with global organisations to provide family planning information, education and access to low-cost contraceptive options. Organon’s goal is to provide 100 million girls and women in low -and –middle –income countries with affordable access to contraceptive options by 2030¹.

• To redefine and harness innovation in women’s health. Organon will dedicate a majority of its pre-clinical and clinical development activity toward the unmet health needs of women. Organon has already begun with development activities in high unmet need areas including postpartum hemorrhage, endometriosis, and pre-term labor.

• Expand access to treatment options that improve her health and help secure her promise. Working together with global partners, Organon plans to expand access to treatment options for post-partum hemorrhage in women, in both developed and developing markets. We will also seek to help address affordability of fertility treatments and access to education to decrease the unmet medical need in fertility.

• Achieve balanced gender representation through all levels of Organon globally by 2030 and pay equity. Organon has had a strong start by launching with a Board of Directors that consists of accomplished individuals with exceptional skills and expertise, and also represents gender and racial diversity. Currently, Organon’s Board is the most diverse healthcare board on the S&P 500.

Organon in Australia has already achieved gender equity at all levels of the business, and also completed and actioned a pay equity review within the first six months of operation.

• Aim to support the transition to a low carbon economy, with an ambition to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions. We also aim to integrate water stewardship and circular economy principles into our business models. The report details concrete short- and mid-terms actions we will take to meet these long-term ambitions.

• Uphold the highest levels of ethics and integrity throughout its business.

As part of its commitment to advancing gender equity through Her Promise, Organon in Australia is forming collaborative partnerships with not-for-profit organisations to make a positive impact by advancing women’s health, gender equity and tackling climate change.

“The Board is committed to achieving both Organon’s business goals as well as contributing to societal goals, and to continuing to drive the company’s ESG strategy,” says Carrie Cox, Board Chairman. “We are pleased to be in a position to publish a comprehensive ESG report just one year after the company’s establishment and highlight our purpose and goals in improving the health of women and girls.

For more details on Organon’s ESG strategy, priorities, and initiatives, please see the full 2021 ESG Report attached. 

You can access further information about Organon Australia at https://www.organon.com/australia/ and connect with us on LinkedIn.

About Organon

Organon is a global healthcare company with a focus on improving the health of women throughout their lives. Organon has a portfolio of more than 60 medicines and products across a range of therapeutic areas. Led by the women’s 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 innovation and future growth opportunities in women’s health. In addition, Organon is pursuing opportunities to collaborate with biopharmaceutical innovators looking to commercialise 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 9,300 employees with headquarters located in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Copyright © (2022) Organon group of companies.  All rights reserved.

Organon Pharma Pty Ltd. Building A, Level 3, 26 Talavera Rd, Macquarie Park, NSW 2113. AU-NON-110096. First issued June 2022.

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1. Data on file: Organon FY2021 ESG Report. Published June 2022. Page 14
2. 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. doi:10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30315-6)
3. Taft et al (2018). Unintended and unwanted pregnancy in Australia: a cross-sectional, national random telephone survey of prevalence and outcomes. Med J Aust, 209 (9): 407-408
4. Rowe et al. (2015). Prevalence and distribution of unintended pregnancy: the Understanding Fertility Management in Australia National Survey. ANZJPH, 40(2):104-9.