Financing and procurement

Pricing and affordability of artemisinin-based antimalarial medicines are important elements to increase access to quality, safe and effective antimalarial medicines.

In the early years of introduction of artemisinin-based combination therapies and before the launch of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, several consultations and initiatives were undertaken to analyse and promote different strategies to reduce pricing of these medicines. The technical reports developed during this phase are presented.

This included also the setting-up of a specific Memorandum of Understanding with Novartis Pharma AG, which in 2001, was the single-source manufacturer of the fixed-dose combination artemether-lumefantrine, recommended for malaria treatment by WHO. The rational and details of the agreement are provided, together with the summary report of the independent audit which was performed on the price offer of this medicine.