This brief reports on the findings of the task force assembled by the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) which developed a special report to help countries determine if they should transition from Iron Folic Acid (IFA) to Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) in antenatal care given the superior health benefits of MMS over IFA for pregnant women and its cost-effectiveness.

This study reviewed new evidence on the effect of multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) compared to iron folic acid (IFA) during pregnancy was reviewed to develop guidance for countries that may want to consider providing MMS to pregnant women.  An expert task force was assembled by the Sackler Institute to assess the data from trials comparing MMS to IFA, the risks of reaching the upper intake levels with MMS, the risk of harm to pregnant women or their infants, and to do a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of MMS compared to IFA. Data from a Cochrane review (CR) and an Individual Patient Data meta-analysis (IDP) were assessed. It concluded that pregnant women in LMICs and their infants could benefit from MMS over IFA during pregnancy, as a cost-effective intervention. It also discussed the approach used by the expert task force, its conclusions, as well as a framework to help LMIC decide on which program to support, and ongoing efforts to pilot the adoption of MMS in sample countries.

This application requests the inclusion of daily multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) for pregnant women in the Essential Medicines List (EML). It presents the scientific evidence to support the inclusion, relevance to public health, cost-effectiveness analyses, regulatory information, other related details of MMS along with references.

This letter to the editor addresses the comments by Devakumar et al regarding the long‐term impact of multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) during pregnancy. It highlights the significant benefits shown in the individual patient data (IPD) meta‐analysis such as reducing the risk of low birthweight and preterm births, more so among those born to underweight women, reduced neonatal mortality among female infants, reduced 6‐month and infant mortality, with no effect among males, reduced 6‐month mortality  among all infants born to anemic mothers. This letter emphasizes the longer term consequences of low birthweight and preterm birth such as  increased risk of death not just during infancy but throughout life, reduced lung capacity and immune function as well as an increase in certain cancers and the potential of MMS to mitigate these adverse health outcomes.

This systematic review assessed the effectiveness of interventions designed to increase adherence to prenatal micronutrient supplementation. Interventions that resulted in increased adherence were most of the education‐based strategies, consumption monitoring by volunteer health workers or family members, SMS reminders, free provision of supplements, a multicomponent intervention with community mobilization, and a participatory action research intervention. In several studies, increased adherence was accompanied by beneficial effects on pregnancy and birth outcomes. Several potentially effective strategies were identified to improve supplementation adherence, which may need to be adapted to specific contexts when considered for program implementation.

This study applied the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) methodology to inform the direction of research and investments needed to support the implementation of Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) interventions for pregnant women in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMIC). This exercise prioritized 35 discrete research questions that merit serious consideration for the potential of MMS during pregnancy to be optimized in LMIC. The top ten research options focused on strategies to increase antenatal care attendance and MMS adherence, methods needed to identify populations more likely to benefit from MMS interventions and some discovery issues (e.g., potential benefit of extending MMS through lactation).

This powerpoint presentation provides information on which Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) product is recommended, the need to concentrate on availability of MMS immediately, practical information to inform planning for United Nations International Multiple Micronutrient Antenatal Preparation (UNIMMAP) – MMS product supplies and the technical resources available.

This powerpoint presentation examines the global policies and updates on translating evidence to action. It includes updates on the global antenatal care (ANC) guidelines, evidence on adopting Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) and recommendations on MMS, opportunities and gaps in ANC services.

This is a comprehensive powerpoint presentation that provides an overview of the extent of micronutrient deficiencies among women of reproductive age, evidence to support the switch from iron folic acid (IFA) to multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS), side-effects, adherence to supplementation and cost-effectiveness.

This document provides information on the global landscape of Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) through the lenses of legislation, activity, and priorities. It includes information about legislation on the global and national levels, as well as on activities that illustrate the areas of advocacy, supply, and implementation science.