Friday, September 25, 2026

Organon calls for EU strategy on women’s health

On International Women’s Day, Organon highlighted gaps in healthcare for women and called for a European strategy on women’s health. The company points to access to contraception, research into conditions affecting women and data gaps in medical development as areas requiring action.

Christoph Habereder, Managing Director D-A-CH at Organon, argues that improving women’s healthcare will require coordinated efforts across countries and organisations. According to the company, the existing gaps cannot be closed by single stakeholders acting alone.

Access to contraception differs across Europe

Organon refers to the Contraception Atlas by the European Parliamentary Forum, which shows unequal access to contraceptives in Europe. Based on the data cited, only 30 percent of the 46 countries analysed provide free contraception for young people up to the age of 25. France, Belgium and the UK are among them, while Germany, Austria and Switzerland are not.

Germany ranks 10th in the assessment, behind Slovenia and the Netherlands. Organon also cites that 30 percent of pregnancies in Germany were unplanned in 2020.

Company calls for more research funding

Organon also focuses on the level of funding for research into conditions that specifically affect women. The company cites a 2020 study indicating that only 1 percent of global research budgets is invested in such diseases. Endometriosis is one example named by Organon: estimates suggest that 10 to 15 percent of women of reproductive age are affected. Diagnosis takes ten years on average, and there is currently no cure.

Habereder is calling for sex-specific medicine to become a mandatory and interdisciplinary part of medical education. In Organon’s view, evidence on sex and gender differences should be used more consistently to support targeted care.

Gender data gap remains a concern

The company also points to structural shortcomings in clinical and preclinical research. Women were long underrepresented in phase I trials. Laboratory studies frequently used male animals, and cell studies were often conducted using male tissue. As a result, the impact of hormonal fluctuations on drug effects was not sufficiently considered.

Organon links its policy message to the #IWDayOFF campaign. On 8 March, the company gives employees worldwide a day off. The initiative is intended to draw attention to bias against women and to place physical and mental health at the centre of the discussion.