E-DRUG: Comments about PEPFAR (2)
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Dear E-Drug members:
I apologize for such a late reply to Eva Ombaka's email about PEPFAR. I
hope it's not too late to comment?
EPN discusses the multi-cadre system that might arise in an health facility
due to PEPFAR's requirement that drugs for OIs be FDA approved. In fact,
this could be a significant threat to both PEPFAR but other delivery
programs (including the GFATM) which uses quality-assured,
non-FDA-approved, medicines. A "two drug system" will cause jealousies
among patients, and conflicts between patients and providers, as patients
realize that they are not all receiving the same treatment. Other delivery
programs could see patients drop out if they perceive they are receiving
"inferior" medicines.
Thank you to EPN for putting together this statement and bringing it to our
attention. Do other E-Drug members have thoughts on the (lack of) capacity
building and the data exclusivity that EPN discussed? If these two items
are ignored, how will countries take over service delivery when PEPFAR
finishes?
Warm regards,
Libby Levison
Pharmaceutical management consultant
Boston
libby@theplateau.com