It's been 20 years since Merck launched its Mectizan Donation Program. Since then, Merck has donated more than 1.8 billion Mectizan tablets to patients in 33 countries, helping protect more than 69 million people from river blindness every year.

In November, thanks to Mectizan, Colombia became the first country to stop the spread of this debilitating tropical disease.

Merck has reaffirmed its pledge to donate enough Mectizan to eliminate river blindness, and has also pledged up to $25 million toward a new $50 million initiative with the World Bank and other partners to eliminate the disease worldwide.