International Trachoma Initiative

What International Trachoma Initiative does

The International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) is a US-based non-profit program of The Task Force for Global Health, headquartered in Decatur, Georgia, with an Africa Regional Office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Founded in 1998 by Pfizer Inc. and the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, ITI operates as the exclusive global steward of Pfizer's donated azithromycin (Zithromax) for trachoma elimination and, since 2024, for child survival interventions. Since 1999, ITI has shipped more than 1.16 billion cumulative trachoma treatments to over 40 countries, supported 31 countries toward WHO validation for trachoma elimination, and contributed to a 94% reduction in the global population requiring trachoma interventions (from 1.5 billion in 2002 to 97.1 million in November 2025).

ITI's core offering is the Azithromycin Donation Program, which manages end-to-end stewardship of donated antibiotics including drug request processing, supply chain coordination, and delivery to national health ministries for mass drug administration (MDA) campaigns under the WHO-recommended SAFE strategy. The organization is supported by a portfolio of proprietary data platforms: Tropical Data (a survey management service used by health ministries to generate standardized trachoma prevalence data), the Trachoma Atlas (an open-access district-level mapping tool), and dedicated shipment trackers for both trachoma and child survival programs. Additional tools include the Azithromycin Management Guide, the Supply Chain Assessment Tool, and the Advisory Panel on Azithromycin for Child Survival (APACS).

ITI's revenue model is that of a non-profit program rather than a commercial entity: it does not sell products or services, receiving financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (for child survival) and operating under The Task Force for Global Health's institutional umbrella, while azithromycin is donated free of charge by Pfizer. The organization serves a multi-stakeholder constituency of national health ministries in trachoma-endemic countries, implementing NGO partners (Sightsavers, Carter Center, Fred Hollows Foundation, HealthNet TPO, END Fund), and global health bodies (WHO's GET2020 alliance, ICTC coalition, REACH Network). With approximately 20-25 staff, ITI executes a high-leverage global health operation where drug value under management exceeds $1.6 billion and the global trachoma mission is approaching completion.

Name

International Trachoma Initiative

Legal name

International Trachoma Initiative (ITI)

Website

https://trachoma.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) is a non-profit program of The Task Force for Global Health that stewards Pfizer's donated azithromycin and supports national health ministries in 40+ countries to eliminate trachoma and advance child survival through mass drug administration and proprietary data platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Global Public Health Programs (Neglected Tropical Disease Drug Stewardship)

NAICS

Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Infectious Disease Program Evaluation (e.g., HIV/TB/Malaria/STIs) (HLAJANAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data Integration, Interoperability & Reporting (ELR/HIE/CDC/NNDSS) (HLAJABAN), International & Global Public Health Aid Administration (Government Donors) (HLAJALAO), Data Governance, Standards & Interoperability (ICD, HL7/FHIR, LOINC, SNOMED) (HLAJAJAM), Healthcare Outcomes & Real-World Evidence (RWE) Analytics (BPAHALAN)

Keywords

• Neglected tropical disease programs
• Drug donation stewardship
• Mass drug administration
• Trachoma elimination
• Global health supply chain

Headquarters

HQ city

Decatur

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donated Medicines Management: ITI manages the donation of azithromycin from Pfizer for trachoma elimination and child survival programs. As a program of the Task Force for Global Health, ITI operates as a non-profit organization supported by foundation funding and pharmaceutical donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ITI manages the global stewardship and distribution of Pfizer-donated azithromycin (Zithromax) for trachoma elimination and child survival programs across more than 40 endemic countries. It supports national health ministries in implementing the WHO-endorsed SAFE strategy through drug donation coordination, supply chain management, technical assistance, and proprietary data platforms (Tropical Data and Trachoma Atlas) that enable high-quality prevalence surveying, mapping, and real-time shipment tracking.

Product overview

The International Trachoma Initiative offers a portfolio of programs centered on the stewardship and distribution of donated azithromycin (Zithromax) from Pfizer for trachoma elimination and child survival. The core offering is the azithromycin donation program, supported by data management platforms including Tropical Data (survey support) and the Trachoma Atlas (mapping). ITI also provides specialized shipment trackers for both trachoma and child survival programs, along with management guides and assessment tools for program implementation. An Advisory Panel on Azithromycin for Child Survival (APACS) provides expert guidance for child survival applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Azithromycin Donation Program Stewardship and distribution of donated azithromycin (Zithromax) from Pfizer for trachoma elimination and child survival programs, including managing donation requests, supply chain coordination, and delivery to endemic countries through country-led mass drug administrations.
• Tropical Data A data management service that supports health ministries conducting trachoma prevalence surveys, providing standardized data collection, cleaning, analysis, and approval support from protocol development through implementation.
• Trachoma Atlas An open-access mapping platform that brings together published and unpublished trachoma prevalence and intervention data at the district level, providing country-specific maps of disease distribution.
• Trachoma Azithromycin Shipment Tracker A 24/7 web-based tracker providing on-demand access to information about recent and upcoming azithromycin shipments to trachoma recipient countries in an easy-to-follow electronic format.
• Azithromycin for Child Survival Shipment Tracker A web-based tracker providing 24/7 on-demand access to real-time information on recent and upcoming azithromycin shipments specifically for child survival programs.
• Azithromycin Management Guide for Trachoma A comprehensive guide outlining the latest developments in trachoma elimination, including updates to antibiotic supply and labelling, providing countries with tools and support for program implementation.
• Azithromycin Supply Chain Assessment Tool A tool designed to guide assessment teams through interviews and inspection procedures when conducting logistics field assessments to examine readiness of National Trachoma Control Programs to receive and distribute donated azithromycin.
• Advisory Panel on Azithromycin for Child Survival (APACS) An independent advisory body providing expert guidance on safe, effective, equitable, and responsible use of azithromycin for child survival, offering technical recommendations on allocation and supply chain management.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,164,994,464 cumulative trachoma treatments shipped since 1999
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PfizercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerITI manages the global donation of azithromycin from Pfizer. In 1998, Pfizer Inc. and the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation founded ITI as an international nongovernmental organization dedicated solely to the elimination of trachoma. To date, Pfizer has donated more than half a billion azithromycin treatments through ITI.
• The Task Force for Global HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerITI is a program of The Task Force for Global Health. In April 2009, ITI joined forces with the Task Force to leverage resources and significantly increase efforts to eliminate blinding trachoma. The Task Force has a 40-year history of improving the lives of millions of people around the world.
• World Health Organization (GET2020)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerITI supports the World Health Organization's Alliance for Global Elimination of Trachoma by 2020 (GET2020). ITI works within the WHO-endorsed framework for trachoma elimination using the SAFE strategy.
• International Coalition for Trachoma Control (ICTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerITI is a founding member of the International Coalition for Trachoma Control, the coalition of non-governmental organizations supporting trachoma control globally.
• REACH NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerITI is partnered with REACH (Resiliency through Azithromycin for Child Survival), a regional and international network of researchers, policy makers and public health actors dedicated to reducing child mortality. ITI launched the Advisory Panel on Azithromycin for Child Survival (APACS) with REACH.
• Fred Hollows FoundationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementing partner supporting trachoma programs in countries like Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Nauru through funding, program implementation, and technical assistance.
• SightsaverscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInternational NGO implementing trachoma control programs globally, supporting MDA activities and elimination efforts.
• HealthNet TPOcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementing partner in Afghanistan working with the Ministry of Public Health to expand comprehensive eye care services and implement trachoma MDAs.
• The Carter CentercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementing partner with extensive experience in trachoma programs, particularly in Ethiopia's Amhara Region, supporting the MalTra Project integrating malaria and trachoma interventions.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mectizan Donation Program: Merck's long-running donation program for ivermectin to eliminate onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis, also housed at The Task Force for Global Health. Closest functional peer: large-scale stewardship of a single donated drug across multiple endemic countries with supply chain, country engagement, and surveillance.
• END Fund: Private philanthropic fund dedicated to neglected tropical disease elimination, with explicit trachoma programming in countries like Afghanistan. Comparable as an NTD-focused funding and coordination vehicle targeting elimination.
• Children Without Worms: Task Force for Global Health program that stewards Johnson & Johnson's donation of Vermox (mebendazole) for soil-transmitted helminthiasis. Directly comparable model: pharmaceutical donation stewardship, country-led MDA support, and global program coordination.
• Sightsavers: International NGO implementing trachoma MDAs and SAFE strategy in endemic countries. Direct field-implementation peer for trachoma elimination; co-funder and partner of ITI in many geographies.
• International Coalition for Trachoma Control (ICTC): Founding-member coalition of NGOs supporting trachoma control globally. Most direct thematic peer for global trachoma coordination; ITI's Director currently serves as Immediate Past Chair.
• Fred Hollows Foundation: Implementing partner for trachoma programs in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Nauru. Comparable through eye-health NTD focus, SAFE strategy implementation, and close programmatic coordination with ITI's stewardship role.
• The Carter Center: Major trachoma implementing partner with deep presence in Ethiopia's Amhara region (including the MalTra Project integrating malaria and trachoma). Comparable mission and field-implementation scale, and is also a partner of ITI.

Broad incumbents

• Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi): Global nonprofit developing treatments for neglected diseases. Comparable mission of addressing NTDs through pharmaceutical and partnership-led models, though focused on drug R&D rather than drug donation stewardship.
• Sabin Vaccine Institute: Global health nonprofit working on NTDs (including trachoma) through advocacy, vaccine development, and country programs. Comparable as a multi-NTD global health organization engaging donors, ministries, and the WHO ecosystem.
• The Task Force for Global Health: Parent organization of ITI and home to multiple global health drug donation and disease elimination programs. Most directly comparable as the institutional vehicle through which ITI operates and to which peer donation programs (Mectizan, Children Without Worms) belong.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/itiatlanta
• Facebookfacebook.com/118340048211972
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-trachoma-initiative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Trachoma Initiative