1 October 2025, NEW YORK – The END Fund and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen their collaboration in the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), specifically targeting the elimination of schistosomiasis.

Building on over a decade of partnership, this agreement signifies a new phase in the collective efforts to combat this devastating parasitic disease. Since 2012, this collaboration has reached affected populations in twenty countries by providing over 185 million tablets of praziquantel – the standard-of-care medication for schistosomiasis in school-aged children and adults.

This new MOU establishes a strategic framework for joint initiatives, leveraging the strengths and experience of both organizations to drive innovation, expand equitable and sustainable access to treatment and accelerate progress towards schistosomiasis elimination as a public health problem by 2030.

It also reinforces the END Fund as a key partner to the multi-faceted investments of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in schistosomiasis elimination, promoting stability within the global movement against NTDs.

“This Memorandum of Understanding underscores our commitment to eliminating schistosomiasis, one of the world’s most debilitating parasitic diseases. By strengthening our partnership with the END Fund, we will work to ensure sustainable access to high-quality treatments, enhance local health systems, and ultimately strive to make schistosomiasis a disease of the past,” said Harald Nusser, Head of Global Health and Health Equity at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

Schistosomiasis affects more than 250 million people worldwide, predominantly in tropical and subtropical regions which lack clean water and sanitation.

Through its long-lasting Schistosomiasis Elimination Program, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has donated over 2 billion praziquantel tablets, enabling the treatment of more than 800 million people, and continues to make significant investments in this area.

Under the MOU, the END Fund and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, will collaborate in five key areas:

• Sustained investment in schistosomiasis elimination programs. 
• Support for endemic countries’ strategies with local leadership. 
• Ensuring sustainable treatment access for all age groups. 
• Enhancing monitoring and evaluation Systems. 
• Advocating for resource mobilization and global leadership to end the burden of schistosomiasis. 

“Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany is a crucial partner in our collective mission to eliminate NTDs. Without their unwavering investment, the reality of elimination would not be possible. This MOU not only reflects our shared ambition but also underscores our enduring commitment to a future where NTDs no longer threaten the health and wellbeing of affected communities. Ultimately restoring dignity and protecting future generations.” said Dr. Solomon Zewdu, Chief Executive Officer of the END Fund.

The MOU comes at a pivotal moment for the global fight against NTDs. With rising pressures on health systems and competing demands for resources, sustained collaboration and investment are critical to achieving the World Health Organization’s 2021-2030 Roadmap for NTDs and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

This MOU marks a new chapter in the fight against NTDs, demonstrating the power of partnerships to create lasting change.

About the END Fund 

The END Fund is a private philanthropic initiative that exists to end the most prevalent neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The fund efficiently puts private capital to work, advocating for NTD programs that are innovative, integrated, and cost-effective. It facilitates strong partnerships with the private sector, government partners, and local implementing partners to collaboratively support national disease programs. This is done through a proven implementation model that is tailored to meet the needs of individual countries, with the view to fostering healthier communities, protected from the risks of NTDs. Since its founding in 2012, along with partners, the END Fund has distributed over one billion treatments across thirty-one countries, performed over 43,000 blindness and disability-preventing surgeries, and trained nearly 3.5 million health workers to preempt and treat NTDs. Learn more at www.endfund.org. 

About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany 

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across life science, healthcare and electronics. The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark “Merck” internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare and EMD Electronics in electronics. Since its founding in 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company’s technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. 

The Company initiated its Schistosomiasis Elimination Program in cooperation with the World Health Organization in 2007. Each year, the company provides up to 250 million tablets of praziquantel and remains committed to eliminating schistosomiasis as a public health problem by 2030. 

www.emdgroup.com

For more information please email: 

Lydia Paynter, Consultant, BB Partners 

[email protected]