Malaria Consortium Supports Launch Of Affordable Medicines Facility For Malaria In New Report

Main Category: Tropical Diseases
Article Date: 22 Nov 2007 - 2:00 PDT

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Today the All Party Parliamentary Malaria Group publishes a report on a new mechanism aimed at making malaria treatment affordable in the developing world. This new mechanism aims to increase access to life saving artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) by reducing the cost of the drugs to patients in poor countries who need them.

"The Right Drug at the Right Time - The Power of the Affordable Medicines Facility - malaria (AMFm) to Save Lives," makes a strong case for the immediate development and utilisation of the Facility. The report, which was written on behalf of the All Party Parliamentary Malaria Group by Malaria Consortium and London School of Tropical Medicine, considers the AMFm as a strong new tool for malaria control. The authors also acknowledge that this new Facility and other existing financing mechanisms are not sufficient to ensure availability and use of effective antimalarials. Greater access to life saving malaria treatment cannot be achieved without health systems strengthening and assurance of drug quality in the private sector.

Dr Sylvia Meek, Malaria Consortium's Technical Director and one of the authors of the report said: "We hope that this report will contribute positively to the forthcoming RBM Board meeting's discussions on the AMFm. There are strong indications that the AMFm could make a significant impact on greater access to life saving antimalarials. Although there are some legitimate concerns about a new financing mechanism, there is enough evidence to show that the creation of the AMFm should be supported."

Note:

The report will be launched in London, in Committee Room 6, House of Commons at 12 noon. It is available to download at http://www.malariaconsortium.org.

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