E-drug: Re: Examples of good drug donation practices (cont'd)
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Dear E-druggers:
In reply to Attieno Ojoo's request for examples of good drug donation
practices: the WHO Guidelines on Drug Donations remain the "gold
standard" in the
field. After becoming the first signatory to the Guidelines (in 1999),
PQMD
devloped somewhat more detailed, internal guidelines consistent with
the WHO
document. We also conduct seminars on good donation practices and
maintain
regular contact with the WHO Department of Essential Drugs and
Medicines
Policy.
When the Guidelines are adhered to, there are few problems.
Unfortunately,
a study published in 2002 found thousands of nonconforming donations,
but the
quality of donations from major pharmaceutical firms and their
humanitarian
agency partners was encouraging.
The study's objective was to determine awareness of and adherence to the
WHO
Guidelines following emergencies in four nations (India, East Timor, El
Salvador and Mozambique). Importantly, the study teams sought to spot
not only
bad donations but to pinpoint responsibility for them.
Every inappropriate donation found was traced to an inexperienced NGO, a
dumping government, or a local in-country distributor unable to sell the
drugs
in the market. "...no evidence was found of inappropriate donations
attributable to major pharmaceutical companies or experienced NGO
agencies." Though
that finding is encouraging, it must be borne in mind that the study
involved
only four nations.
"Drug Donations in Post-Emergency Situations," conducted by the World
Bank,
WHO, AEDES and PQMD, is available from www.worldbank.org or from
www.pqmd.org.
A good many successful donation programs have been studied in recent
years,
but few have reached publication. One, on the Mectizan Donation
Program, is
in Tropical Medicines & International Health for March 2004
(www.blackwellpublishing.com/tmi). Others are
underway. For general information about such programs, readers might
visit
www.pqmd.org.
James B. Russo
Executive Director
The Partnership for Quality Medical Donations (www.pqmd.org)
146 Koenig Rd.
Bernville, PA 19506
USA
610 488 8303
610 488 7036 (fax)
488 269 6470 (mobile)
jbrusso@pqmd.org
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