[e-drug] 5 minutes survey: barriers to effective supply of LEISHMANIASIS medicine

E-DRUG: 5 minutes survey: barriers to effective supply of LEISHMANIASIS medicine
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear E-druggers,

My name is Temmy, and currently I am a Marie-Curie PhD candidate with the project on Access to Care of Leishmaniasis in Africa. As part of this project, we are conducting a study focusing on supply and pharmaceutical barriers on the medicines for neglected tropical disease (NTD). Diagnosis and treatment are the mains strategy of controlling the disease endemic in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. The visceral leishmaniasis, or kala-azar, is fatal without treatment.
Leishmaniasis is not amenable to preventive chemotherapy through mass drug administration. However, available drugs are old, toxic, too expensive or come from single producer. Shortages have been reported in the past, and new medicines are sorely needed.

This survey aims to explore the perceived barriers towards effective supply of medicines for leishmaniasis, which albeit included in some National Essential Drug List, are not registered in the countries and imported through NGOs or others. Therefore, we invite everyone who is interested in this topic to take 5 minute to complete the survey by clicking the link below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/36VNFDN

Your response will be anonymized and by doing this you are providing valuable input towards advocacy in securing access to medicines of a life threatening disease of kala-azar. Please also kindly let me know should you be willing to speak more about the issue in an in-depth interview (by phone or Skype).

Your help is highly appreciated and many thanks in advance,

Temmy Sunyoto, MD MPH
Unit of Epidemiology and Control of Tropical Diseases
Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp
www.itg.be
www.euroleish.net
Temmy Sunyoto <tsunyoto@itg.be>

E-DRUG: 5 minutes survey: barriers to effective supply of Leishmaniasis medicine (2)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Tommy,
This looks like a very interesting survey. Have you involved access people in pharmaceutical companies? They have some interesting experiences.
I have not worked in any of the countries so do not feel I can respond to your survey. But I would be interested in the results.
Good luck

Richard Laing

Richard Laing
Professor, Department of Global Health
Boston University School of Public Health,
801 Massachusetts Avenue Boston MA 02118
Tel 617 414 1445 (Office) 617 435 7860 (Mobile)
E mail richardl@bu.edu