News Release

September 26, 2022

Organon Canada reinforces the need to raise awareness and access for contraception methods with nearly half of pregnancies unplanned¹

On World Contraception Day, Organon wants to help tackle the global issue of unintended pregnancies by helping ensure women make informed decisions about their reproductive health

Kirkland, Quebec, September 26, 2022  – On World Contraception Day (September 26), Organon (NYSE: OGN), a global women’s health company, is launching Act with Her, a multi-faceted approach to help tackle the global health issue of unintended pregnancies (UIPs) and to improve access to contraception. Organon is proud to support the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) to reinforce the importance of education and awareness in reducing unplanned pregnancies in Canada through roundtable discussions. In addition, Organon continues to donate contraceptives in their effort to reduce unintended pregnancies. 

Nearly half of all pregnancies in Canada are unintended¹ and UIP is a public health and reproductive health concern worldwide.² A recent survey* funded by Organon Canada showed 48 per cent of 18-40 years old women in Canada would be financially impacted by an unintended pregnancy. The survey also showed women can be significantly affected in other areas, including mental health (43 per cent), physical health (39 per cent), and career (35 per cent).  

“Women who experience unplanned pregnancies are at high risk for many health factors, which can have overwhelming and negative impacts. It is imperative for women in Canada to have access to various contraception methods and resources so that they can make smart and informed choices,” said Dr. Diane Francoeur, Chief Executive Officer of the SOGC.

As a commitment to helping women in their reproductive health journey, Organon Canada is supporting the SOGC in bringing together a roundtable including SOGC representatives, physicians, and advocacy groups to address unintended pregnancies and the need for improved sex education. Hosted by Eva Hartling, the discussion features Dr. Francoeur and Frederique Chabot, Director of Domestic Health Promotion atAction Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, as well as other healthcare professionals. The podcast will be released on “The Brand is Female” on Monday, September 26 at 9 a.m. EDT and will be available at https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-brand-is-female/id1450048766.

“Education, awareness, access and resources are key pillars to help reduce unintended pregnancies. Organon is committed to be here for her health and will continue to do its part by listening to women’s needs, and collaborating with policymakers, advocates, and community leaders to help reduce the rates of UIPs in Canada,” said Mike Casia, President and Managing Director of Organon Canada. 

As part of its global ESG commitment of preventing an estimated 120 million unintended pregnancies worldwide by 2030, Organon Canada recently donated over 800 contraceptives to a local health centre to support a program aimed at reducing unintended pregnancies.

For more information about World Contraception Day, visit www.sogc.org/contraception.

About Organon

Organon is a global healthcare company formed to 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 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 9,300 employees with headquarters located in Jersey City, New Jersey.

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*About the Survey

These are findings of survey funded by Organon Canada and conducted by Ipsos from March 9-17, 2022, with a representative sample of 1,500 females ages 18-40 from across Canada. The survey was conducted in English and French.

The sample for this study was randomly drawn from Ipsos’ online panel, partner online panel sources, and “river” sampling and does not rely on a population frame in the traditional sense. Ipsos uses fixed sample targets, unique to each study, in drawing a sample. After a sample has been obtained from the Ipsos panel, Ipsos calibrates respondent characteristics to be representative of the Population using standard procedures such as raking-ratio adjustments. The source of these population targets is Canadian Census data. The sample drawn for this study reflects fixed sample targets on demographics. Posthoc weights were made to the population characteristics on age range, region, and education. 

The margin of error for 1,500 completed interviews is +/- 2.7 per cent percentage points. Statistically significant differences at the 95 per cent confidence level are noted by highlighting larger proportion. Testing was applied to the two age groups, the four regions, and select attributes. Alpha notations are added to the significant differences to indicate the regions / attributes with a significantly lower score than the one highlighted.

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References: 1. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada. Unintended Pregnancy. Available at: https://www.pregnancyinfo.ca/your-pregnancy/special-consideration/unintended-pregnancy/. Accessed on September 7, 2022. 2. YAZDKHASTI M, POURREZA A, PIRAK A, ABDI F. Unintended Pregnancy and its Adverse Social and Economic Consequences on Health System: a narrative review article. Iran J Public Health. 2015;44(1):12-21.