Venture Strategies for Health and Development initiated a program to increase women's access to misoprostol for postpartum hemorrhage. Key accomplishments included cosponsoring successful policy meetings, providing technical assistance on the world's first registration of misoprostol for postpartum hemorrhage, and operations research to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of distribution of misoprostol using village level health care providers.

In 2004 we completed a study examining the conditions behind the reduction of maternal injuries and death from unsafe abortion during the ten years after misoprostol became available in pharmacies in 1986.

In 2005, Venture Strategies co-sponsored a groundbreaking study to examine the safety of lime juice as a vaginal microbicide. 

In collaboration with the School of Public Health at Berkeley, we implemented a week-long seminar to 29 pharmaceutical companies in Beijing, China, in June 2002 at the request of the Chinese government, on exporting generic pharmaceutical products to other countries with appropriate quality assurance procedures.

In collaboration with Partners in Population and Development (PPD), we explored the possibility of taking oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) off prescription in many countries with a survey of member countries (OCPs are already sold over-the-counter in 50% of the PPD member countries).  We produced a background paper on this subject for use by ministries of health.

Venture Strategies has worked with distributors and regulatory experts in South Africa to explore the most appropriate avenues of regulatory approval for distribution in the many African countries.

For six years Venture Strategies has undertaken an extensive study examining the many barriers that stand between low income women around the world and the family planning methods they want.

Working with a pharmaceutical company in China, we produced an application for regulatory approval of misoprostol in one east African country.

Venture Strategies is a partner in a collaborative project to produce and market an affordable wood-burning stove in Uganda that will reduce emissions and improve fuel efficiency.

With the BBC World Service, London, we held a brainstorming meeting to explore ways in which their radio broadcasting in 45 languages might enhance efforts to improve health around the world.

Venture Strategies has sponsored visits to Afghanistan by three teams of health experts to explore the potential for pharmacy distribution of needed health products, including family planning, and for additional ways to help improve women's health.

In 2001 we drafted a paper on steps needed to reduce the role of middle-men in agricultural product distribution - with applicability now to pharmaceutical and other products.

Our second study in 2001 explored the potential for gaining access at a discount, for development purposes, to “blocked currencies” ­ local currencies held by multi-national corporations in developing countries for which conversion to industrialized countries' currencies is not an option.

In collaboration with Winrock International and CEIHD in the School of Public Health, UC Berkeley, Venture Strategies compiled in 2004 a report on Chinese household energy practices and their health effects as part of the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air's series of country overviews.

Venture Strategies is supporting a Chinese initiative to launch a business competition that will reward innovative stove designs, encourage new technical development, and expand access to the most promising household energy products.

In 2004, Venture Strategies co-sponsored a misoprostol study to compare health outcomes between misoprostol and current practices in active management of the third stage of labor in Egyptian hospitals.

Venture Strategies was the facilitating partner for monitoring and evaluation services offered to household energy projects worldwide by CEIHD at Berkeley. Monitoring and evaluation activities have been conducted in Africa and Asia.