The
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is putting into
place a new agreement for purchasing HIV medication that will save close
to US$100 million over two years, money that can be reinvested
in lifesaving drugs and programs all over the world.
By
using a Pooled Procurement Mechanism, the agreement means lower prices,
swifter delivery and more predictable and sustainable long-term supply –
delivering on the goals of the Global Fund’s
Market Shaping Strategy.
It
also yields greater transparency, reducing risks and expenses for
countries that implement programs treating people with HIV. The new
approach will also deliver better HIV medication options
for children.
The
improvements were achieved by bundling the purchase of, high volume
drugs with lower volume ones which are sometimes more difficult to
obtain. Negotiators also focused on improved shelf life
and active pharmaceutical ingredient security.
The Global Fund is entering agreements with eight suppliers, with three of them as long-term strategic partnerships.
“As
well as expanding the supply of life-saving medicines, our new approach
will provide deep and sustained savings, to the benefit of people
living with HIV across the world,” said Christopher
Game, Chief Procurement Officer at the Global Fund.
Making
public health resources go further is a core priority of the Global
Fund, Mr. Game said. Savings from the new agreement on HIV medication
are equivalent to providing anti-retroviral drugs
to an additional 400,000 people for two years.
“Just
as important,” Mr Game added, “we are shaping the market for these
lifesaving drugs, to make them more effective, reliable and affordable
for people who really need it.”
Using
the Pooled Procurement Mechanism involved a detailed analysis to
determine which suppliers could sustainably provide medications at
significant scale and quality to meet the needs of both
adults and children living with HIV.
This
involved visits to manufacturers of both finished and raw materials and
built on work with key partners such as the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI),
Government of South Africa, Médecins Sans Frontières, Pan American
Health Organization, The United States President’s Emergency Fund for
AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), UNICEF, UNITAID, USAID and the World Health
Organisation.
As
of late 2014, the Global Fund has provided financial support programs
that put 7.3 million people on antiretroviral medication, a 20 per cent
increase over the past year.
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