Medicines and Technologies
Pharmaceutical Procurement and Management
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Pharmacist fills a prescription in a local clinic in South Africa.
Source: Carmen Urdaneta |
In many parts of developing countries, there are enormous gaps in meeting the demand for essential drugs and commodities. Appropriate use of therapeutic medicines – both in terms of providers' prescribing practices and consumers' adherence to drug regimens – poses an additional challenge. Substandard and counterfeit medicines are increasingly posing a public health threat, as they compromise treatment, help fuel antimicrobial resistance, and risk undermining the impact of health interventions overall.
USAID improves the availability and use of quality health commodities, such as pharmaceuticals, vaccines, medical supplies, and basic equipment, through the following strategies:
- Working with policymakers, researchers, managers, and providers in both the public and private sectors to identify within health commodity systems the root causes of ineffective supply, poor access, and inappropriate use
- Collaborating with these partners to implement new and proven approaches to address these problems
- Expanding on proven commodity management methodologies and tools for global technical leadership, regional initiatives, and country programs
- Rethinking the roles of the public and private sectors in service provision and regulation
- Improving the financial sustainability of commodity systems and strengthening their operational efficiency
- Training public health workers and health professionals in drug information and pharmacotherapy to improve competence and accountability in drug dispensing
- Developing and disseminating evidence-based drug and therapeutic information
- Strengthening medicine quality assurance systems, including post-marketing surveillance
- Providing support to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) compliance in the manufacturing of medicines relevant to USAID priority health programs
Pharmaceutical Management-Related Projects at USAID:
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