DKT Philippines began its social marketing campaign in 1991 with the launch of TRUST Condoms. TRUST has since become the leading condom in the market, with over 100 million condoms sold. In 1997, DKT introduced TRUST Pill, a low-estrogen oral contraceptive. DKT Philippines has since introduced a full range of contraceptives at different price points to meet the needs of a wide variety of consumers.
DKT’s contraceptive sales provide a bridge from government-provided contraceptives to the commercialization of the contraceptive market in a country where the Catholic Church and other organizations oppose modern methods of contraception. DKT partners with the Ministry of Health by providing Intrauterine Devices, helping to expand the number of women who can access long acting reversible contraceptives.
DKT Philippines also focuses on HIV/AIDS prevention, and has launched a variety of educational campaigns to increase the use of condoms, including one promoting the product’s use in brothels and hotels.
In 2016, the Philippine Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order on the procurement and distribution of hormonal contraceptives, which would eliminate access to all forms of birth control other than condoms by 2020. This ban was lifted in 2017, but the order put a backlog on the registration of new products.
DKT launched the Service Outreach and Distribution Extension (SODEX) program in 2019 to expand contraceptive access in the northeast Caraga area of the country’s poorest island, Mindanao. DKT provides counseling, distributes product samples, and works closely with community health workers to increase contraceptive uptake in remote and underserved communities.
DKT Philippines was originally heavily subsidized, but is now fully sustainable, meaning it does not need funding from outside sources to continue operations in the country.