WHIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Building on its more than 50-year commitment to women’s healthcare, today Bayer launched the We’re for Her initiative, which includes a partnership with the humanitarian organization Direct Relief that will help break down barriers so more women across the United States can access contraceptives and make powerful decisions about their families and their futures with the help of a healthcare provider.

Most American women spend approximately 30 years of their lives trying to prevent pregnancy.¹ Yet so many women in this country cannot access contraceptives and reproductive healthcare.^2,3 Over the next three years, this partnership will help impact the lives of thousands of women by addressing the challenge of access through product donations, grants provided by Direct Relief to health clinics around the country and educational materials to healthcare facilities.

“At Bayer, we believe every woman should have access to reproductive healthcare and contraceptives, including intrauterine devices (IUDs). This new partnership with Direct Relief addresses access at its core, so more women can talk to their doctor and acquire the resources they need to plan their futures,” said Yesmean Wahdan, M.D., U.S. Medical Affairs at Bayer.

The We’re for Her initiative and partnership with Direct Relief is an extension of Bayer’s longstanding commitment to the reproductive health of women, which includes supporting a woman’s access to contraception. Additionally, the Bayer US Patient Assistance Foundation helps eligible patients afford Bayer prescriptions, including our IUDs, Kyleena^® (levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system) 19.5mg, Mirena^® (levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system) 52mg, and Skyla^® (levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system) 13.5mg.

Since 2001, the company has provided more than 277,000 IUDs for women in need. The We’re for Her initiative is part of Bayer’s goal to provide 100 million women across the world with access to contraception by 2030.

“Direct Relief is deeply grateful for the leadership and generosity displayed by Bayer with this significant donation,” said Damon Taugher, Vice President of Global Programs at Direct Relief. “This contribution will allow hundreds of safety net providers across the country to expand women’s access to health care and better serve their patients.”

Bayer Women’s Healthcare has long been committed to the reproductive health of all women— from products and education to championing access to contraceptives. Bayer offers a variety of birth control options to help meet the diverse needs of women. Bayer takes pride in increasing the availability of family planning resources and education to women and healthcare providers.

To learn more about the We’re for Her initiative, visit www.wereforheraccess.com.

INDICATION FOR KYLEENA (levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system) 19.5mg

Kyleena® is a hormone-releasing IUD that prevents pregnancy for up to 5 years.

INDICATIONS FOR MIRENA (levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system) 52mg

Mirena® is a hormone-releasing IUD that prevents pregnancy for up to 5 years. Mirena also treats heavy periods in women who choose intrauterine contraception.

INDICATION FOR SKYLA (levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system) 13.5mg

Skyla® a hormone-releasing IUD that prevents pregnancy for up to 3 years.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR KYLEENA, MIRENA, AND SKYLA

• If you have a pelvic infection, get infections easily, or have certain cancers, don't use Kyleena, Mirena or Skyla. Less than 1% of users get a serious pelvic infection called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
• If you have persistent pelvic or stomach pain or if Kyleena, Mirena or Skyla comes out, tell your healthcare provider (HCP). If Kyleena, Mirena or Skyla comes out, use back-up birth control. Kyleena, Mirena or Skyla may attach to or go through the uterus and cause other problems.
• Pregnancy while using Kyleena, Mirena or Skyla is uncommon but can be life threatening and may result in loss of pregnancy or fertility.
• Ovarian cysts may occur but usually disappear.
• Bleeding and spotting may increase in the first 3 to 6 months and remain irregular. Periods over time usually become shorter, lighter, or may stop.

Kyleena, Mirena and Skyla do not protect against HIV or STDs.

Only you and your HCP can decide if Kyleena, Mirena or Skyla is right for you. Kyleena, Mirena and Skyla are available by prescription only.

For important risk and use information about Kyleena, please see the accompanying Full Prescribing Information

For important risk and use information about Mirena, please see the accompanying Full Prescribing Information

For important risk and use information about Skyla, please see the accompanying Full Prescribing Information

About Direct Relief

A humanitarian organization committed to improving the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies, Direct Relief delivers lifesaving medical resources throughout the world to communities in need—without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay. For more information, please visit https://www.DirectRelief.org.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development, and the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2019, the Group employed around 104,000 people and had sales of 43.5 billion euros. Capital expenditures amounted to 2.9 billion euros, R&D expenses to 5.3 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.us.

Bayer® and the Bayer Cross® are registered trademarks of Bayer.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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¹ Guttmacher Institute, Moving Forward: Family Planning in the Era of Health Reform, 2014. https://www.guttmacher.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/family-planning-and-health-reform.pdf

² Power to Decide, Lack of Access = Lack of Power to Decide. https://powertodecide.org/what-we-do/access/birth-control-access

³ Access to Contraception, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2017. https://www.acog.org/en/Clinical/Clinical%20Guidance/Committee%20Opinion/Articles/2015/01/Access%20to%20Contraception

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