This Sight and Life MMS Special Report 2.0 contains the latest evidence showing the unequivocal benefits of the globally recognized MMS (Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation) formula known as United Nations International Multiple Micronutrient Antenatal Preparation (UNIMMAP).

• Prenatal MMS provide a variety of vitamins and minerals to fill the gap between the typically low micronutrient intakes observed in low-resource settings and the higher requirements imposed by pregnancy.

• Various meta-analyses demonstrated that MMS containing iron and folic acid resulted in a consistent relative risk reduction for several outcomes, including low birthweights, small-for-gestational-age births, preterm births and still-births, over and above the benefits provided by iron and folic acid supplements (IFA).

• The benefits of MMS (when compared to IFA) are even greater among anemic and underweight pregnant women, those who initiate supplementation earlier, and those with higher adherence.

• MMS is a cost-effective intervention that brings additional benefits for the health of the mother, from improved micronutrient status to adequate gestational weight gain.

• MMS is safe, meaning that there is no evidence of harm or hypervitaminosis-related adverse effects.

• The research gaps identified in the 2020 WHO update of the MMS recommendation have now been addressed with recent meta-analyses and should be considered in future convenings of the WHO guideline development group.

The report calls for accelerating the delivery and use of MMS in Humanitarian Contexts. Nutrition partners and national governments need to prioritize women’s and girls’ nutrition and invest in targeted nutrition guidance, implementation, and product supply and utilization for protecting their health. Scaling up maternal multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) to 90% coverage globally may result in substantial gains in schooling (5.0 million additional school years) and lifetime income (US$ 18.1 billion) per 5-year birth cohort.

The report provides learnings based on individual country experiences that point to a way forward to accelerate introduction of UNIMMAP MMS.

The report sounds an alarm bell on supply issues. By 2030, without action, the projected supply of UNIMMAP MMS will support just 30 million pregnant women each year. This means that at our current pace, only 13% of the 228 million women who become pregnant every year in LMIC will have access to this essential intervention.