In April 2015, USAID and Janssen Therapeutics officially launched the bedaquiline donation initiative, under which Janssen committed to providing free bedaquiline to 30,000 patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) over a four-year period. Bedaquiline is the first anti-TB medicine to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in more than 40 years, and is … Read more
Archive Blog
At a glance: SIAPS by the numbers
SIAPS Program uses a health systems strengthening approach that supports and integrates all core functions of country health systems for greater health impact. Our new infographic provides an overview of select SIAPS interventions and results in line with six core functions: governance; capacity building; financing; information for decision-making; supply chain; and pharmaceutical services. Click here to view.
Moving toward UHC through Stronger Pharmaceutical Management Systems
By Francis Aboagye-Nyame, Program Director, SIAPS Three years ago, the United Nations unanimously passed a resolution that endorsed the concept of universal health coverage. The USAID-funded SIAPS Program, along with hundreds of other partners in the global health community, now marks that landmark commitment by commemorating each December 12th as Universal Health Coverage Day. This … Read more
Evidence-based strategies for the rationalization of the list of high-cost medicines in the Dominican Republic
The Ministry of Public Health (Ministerio de Salud Pública, or MSP) of the Dominican Republic organized the High-Cost Medicines Program (Programa de Medicamentos de Alto Costo, or PMAC) in 2008[i] to facilitate clinical care for patients with very rare diseases and high-cost treatment, such as cancers unresponsive to conventional treatments, rheumatoid arthritis, hepatitis C, and … Read more
From policies to patients: Handling antibiotics with care across the pharmaceutical system
This week, the global health and development community is commemorating the first World Antibiotic Awareness Week. Spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise global awareness on the magnitude, reach, and severity of antibiotic resistance; the event comes at a time when resistance to many antimicrobials, not just antibiotics, has now escalated to pandemic … Read more
Defeating pneumonia: Considering both providers and caregivers in achieving medication adherence
More than 900,000 children die of pneumonia each year. Many of these cases go undiagnosed and untreated. The countdown to 2015 report notes that only 54% of children with pneumonia symptoms are taken to a health care provider, while the Global Action Plan for Pneumonia and Diarrhea reports that only 31% of children with suspected … Read more
Every breath counts: Improve health outcomes for pneumonia through better access to pharmaceuticals and services
Pneumonia is the leading infectious disease killer of children under five, killing more than 900,000 children— the vast majority in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa— every year. Reductions in childhood pneumonia deaths lag behind reductions in deaths due to malaria, diarrhea, measles and AIDS, and many of these children die because of delays in care … Read more
Institutionalizing e-TB Manager as a national TB registry in Ukraine
Ukraine has the second-highest burden of TB in the European region. According to the Ukraine’s Ministry of Health, TB is the leading cause of death from infectious diseases in the country. Ukraine’s efforts at TB control use a mix of standardized approaches, including Stop TB strategies, as well as directly observed therapy short-course (DOTS) guidelines … Read more
Investigating the potential of drones to improve health outcomes
Since 2014, SIAPS, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) in the Dominican Republic (DR), has been developing the design of a supply chain for HIV and tuberculosis (TB) laboratory samples that offers national coverage, including rural areas. Recently, the MOH approached SIAPS seeking technical advice on the feasibility of implementing and using unmanned aerial … Read more
Inaugural Regional Health Managers Workshop for Improved Supply Chain Management of NTD Drugs in Ethiopia
Committed to the global fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), SIAPS Program has developed a three-day training workshop for national NTD program managers and their supply chain management counterparts. Through a series of regional workshops, SIAPS will contribute to increasing the capacity of program managers to manage donations or procurements during mass drug administration (MDA) … Read more
