Business Daily (Nairobi)
Margaret Chan
23 January 2008
opinion
In just the past few years, the political and public profile of malaria has risen to unprecedented heights. I see solid reasons for optimism in the strength of international commitment, in the power of existing interventions, and in the coherence of evidence-based strategies for implementation.
But the best reason for optimism comes from the results we are seeing in some African countries, particularly following better coverage with bednets and use of the newer strategy for home-based management. New tools, most notably a vaccine, would allow us to raise the bar of expectations, but we are already seeing solid progress using existing tools.
I believe this is the right way to move forward for malaria and many other diseases: use existing tools for an immediate impact, while stimulating R&D to develop the tools that can support far more ambitious goals.
Again, this sense that the stage is set for malaria results must be qualified. We have strong evidence demonstrating the superior efficacy and safety of artemisinin-based combination therapies, but ACT drugs cost 20 to 40 times more than conventional treatments. For a disease that takes its heaviest toll on impoverished rural families in Africa, price can be an absolute barrier to access. For me, one of the most encouraging trends in public health today is the power of commitment to unleash the best of human ingenuity.
UNITAID, which draws funds primarily from a levy on airline tickets, began operating in 2006 as a facility for purchasing drugs and diagnostics for Aids, TB, and malaria. This facility is not only purchasing large quantities of interventions. UNITAID has provided an incentive for product improvements, including paediatric formulations for AIDS and TB drugs.
Establishment of a rotating stockpile of second-line drugs for TB serves as an incentive for manufacturers to increase their production capacity and develop pre-qualified products. In partnership with the Clinton Foundation, UNITAID has brokered average price reductions of 40 per cent for HIV/Aids drugs.
Several partners are now considering an innovative funding facility for making ACTs more affordable. This approach involves heavily subsidised prices at the point when these drugs leave the manufacturer, thus cutting prices for both the public and private sectors.
This is the kind of hard-nosed pragmatism that gets results in public health. We must keep such approaches in mind as we consider broad ways to improve access to essential medicines.
Chan is the director- general of WHO.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Business Daily. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
