BD, WHO partner to reduce labor-related complications in developing world

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J. — Becton, Dickinson and Co. is partnering with the World Health Organization in an effort to address maternal and newborn mortality, BD said Friday.

The medical products company announced a commitment to develop and launch the Odon Device, an obstetrical instrument for assisting the delivery of newborns during circumstances of troublesome labor. Obstructed and prolonged labors are common causes of maternal and child mortality in developing countries, particularly for adolescent girls and young women. According to the United Nations Population Fund, 10 million women per year experience such serious pregnancy-related medical complications as bleeding, infection and trauma, and 260,000 maternal deaths occurred in 2012.

"The Odon Device offers a low-cost, simplified way to deliver babies and protect mothers when labor is prolonged," WHO director-general Margaret Chan said. "It promises to transfer life-saving capacity to rural health posts, which almost never have the facilities and staff to perform a C-section."