In 2022, the MSD factory in the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands produced a record one billion tablets for shipment in a single year. To mark the occasion, in April 2023 MDP and members of the Mectizan Expert Committee traveled there to meet MSD employees responsible for the manufacture of Mectizan. MSD President, SVP, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region Renan Özyerli was also on hand to congratulate the team responsible for 35 years of supplying this vital drug to #StampOutOncho and #EliminateLF. Visitors were then guided on a tour of the factory to see the many complicated steps involved in creating Mectizan to be shipped to dozens of countries around the world. (Photos by Michel Campfens)
MSD Haarlem plant shipping bays
Mr. Renan Özyerli, MSD President, SVP, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region, commended the group for the record-breaking production output in 2022.
Dr. Yao Sodahlon, Director, Mectizan Donation Program, explained the path the tablets take after departing Haarlem for countries around the world.
MSD Haarlem campus
Bottle of Mectizan emerging from the label applicator
MSD employees joined the Mectizan Expert Committee and guests for the celebration.
Ron Buijs, IPT Lead of Specialties, MSD Haarlem: "It's amazing that a small bottle of tablets makes such a difference for so many people for such a long time."
A group of employees from different departments gathered to discuss their role in the global health
Odessa Visser works in Quality Control for Mectizan production. “In our work we can guarantee that the pills are safe to take."
Michael Oladosu, Mectizan Production Line, MSD Haarlem: “We make 1.2 million tablets per batch. The effort behind it really matters a lot.”
Anton de Bruin, Senior Pharmaceutical Specialist, led the MEC on a tour of the production line
MSD's Mectizan team at work
On the production line
On the production line
Pills on the production line
Rianne Vincenten approves paperwork for Mectizan shipments
In the warehouse for shipping