In 1998, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation and Pfizer Inc. founded the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) to help answer the World Health Organization’s call to eliminate blinding trachoma by 2030.

ITI provides comprehensive support to national ministries of health and governmental and nongovernmental organizations to implement a comprehensive approach to fight trachoma.

• We manage the allocation and distribution of the antibiotic, azithromycin, donated by Pfizer, to treat active trachoma infections; and collaborate with our partners to implement all other aspects of the World Health Organization-recommended SAFE Strategy.
• We mobilize resources for trachoma control programs and provide technical assistance to countries and partner organizations, including logistical assistance.
• We support trachoma control research, program monitoring and evaluation.
• We develop and strengthen partnerships for implementing the WHO-endorsed SAFE strategy for disease elimination.

Since 1998, ITI has managed the donation of more than half a billion treatments of the antibiotic azithromycin to treat active trachoma infections. However, the goal since ITI’s inception has been to enable endemic communities to reach a point where trachoma is no longer a public health threat and azithromycin treatments no longer are necessary.

To date, Benin, Cambodia, China, Gambia, Ghana, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malawi, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Togo and Vanuatu have been validated as eliminating trachoma as a public health problem. 

This is allowing ITI to redirect Pfizer’s generous donation to other endemic communities, furthering worldwide efforts to eliminate trachoma.