SC Johnson, US Department of State and Global Fund Sign New Accord

SC Johnson, the US Department of State and the Global Fund announced a three-year agreement to expand access to Guardian, SC Johnson’s spatial repellent, to help reduce the transmission of insect-borne diseases. The collaboration is expected to support introduction and implementation in approximately 10 priority countries with the goal of helping protect more than 60 million people.

This new commitment, according to SC Johnson, builds on the company’s long-standing investment in insect science and public health, including more than $120 million invested to develop, test and manufacture Guardian on a not-for-profit basis.

Low-cost and electricity-free, Guardian is a spatial repellent which provides protection for up to one year and can be used in a wide range of household and humanitarian settings.

“More than a decade ago, we launched a not-for-profit effort to develop an ultra-low-cost spatial repellent aimed at helping fight malaria and other insect-borne diseases among the world’s most vulnerable communities,” said Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. “We’re grateful for our partnership with the US Department of State and the Global Fund, which will help protect tens of millions of people from malaria.”

Malaria causes more than 600,000 deaths each year, most of them children under age five in Sub-Saharan Africa. Deployment of Guardian will target countries with some of the highest malaria rates in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as acceleration towards malaria elimination in settings like Southeast Asia.

“Malaria remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, especially for children in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Peter Sands, executive director of the Global Fund. “Innovative partnerships like this one are essential to staying ahead of the disease and saving lives. By accelerating access to new tools alongside existing interventions, we can help countries strengthen malaria prevention and protect vulnerable communities.”

The Department will utilize the Global Fund to support the procurement and distribution of approximately 30 million Guardian spatial repellents to protect more than 60 million people over the next three years.

According to the US State Department, it will support the procurement of Guardian , calling it “the first American product of its kind.”  

In 2023, SC Johnson released field testing data that showed Guardian offered “game-changing efficacy of one year,” as reported by Happi.

Expanded Production for Guardian

SC Johnson has been building new production lines for Guardian. Last year, it launched two high-speed manufacturing lines at its plant in Nairobi, Kenya. The lines can produce up to 20 million units annually.

Last week, SCJ dedicated a new high-speed manufacturing line in Pilar, Argentina that will produce Guardian.