Partners
The ACCESS-SMC Partnership
With a guaranteed funded demand of up to 30 million treatments, as well as additional funded demand, current SMC product suppliers will be incentivized to increase production and new suppliers encouraged to come on board. This market effect – which is already being seen - will positively impact on the most significant issue currently facing governments, organizations and donors interested in implementing SMC: the global shortage of quality assured SMC products.
UNITAID’s partnership with the ACCESS-SMC consortium offers a real opportunity to not only concretely improve the health of 10 million children but also to sustainably change the underlying market dynamics that have, to date, contributed to making at-scale administration of SMC illusive.
The Intervention
ACCESS-SMC is a UNITAID-funded project, led by Malaria Consortium in partnership with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), which is supporting National Malaria Control and Elimination Programs in seven countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, The Gambia) to lead the first-ever at-scale roll out of SMC.
This three year project is supported by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Centre de Support de Santé International (CSSI), Management Sciences for Health (MSH), Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), and Speak Up Africa (SUA).
- Use learning from implementation to improve efficiency of SMC delivery.
- Prove the long-term efficacy, safety and resistance profiles of SMC drugs in large-scale roll-out.
- Strengthen systems to capture severe adverse reactions.
- Stimulate increased global interest and capacity among manufacturers for quality assured SMC products.
- Accelerate creation of sustainable, funded demand for SMC.
- Communicate on the feasibility and cost effectiveness of SMC in order to generate continued interest from donors.
- Raise awareness about the benefits and safety of SMC among caregivers.
The consortium of partners will work together to...
Administer SMC services for up to 10 million children in seven countries
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At-scale roll out of SMC is essential to make a substantial impact in both public health and on the market for SMC products. ACCESS-SMC will provide 15 million SMC treatments in 2015 and 30 million SMC treatments in 2016, potentially averting 36, 000 deaths. Malaria Consortium will support National Malaria Control and Elimination Programs to lead SMC implementation in Burkina Faso and Nigeria; CRS will support in Guinea, Mali, Niger and The Gambia; and CSSI will support in Chad. |
Demonstrate effectiveness and safety of SMC implementation at-scale
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The long-term efficacy, safety and resistance profiles of SMC drugs, while demonstrated through research, has yet to be proven in large-scale roll-out. Systems to capture severe adverse reactions also require strengthening. LSHTM will generate evidence on drug resistance; strengthen pharmacovigilance systems; and measure SMC’s public health impact. |
Use learning from implementation to improve efficiency of SMC delivery
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The average cost per child of delivering SMC is not well established and is not comparable between countries and organizations. Delivery systems, which represent an estimated 80% of SMC’s cost, are underdeveloped. MSH will measure and monitor costs of SMC and work with countries to optimize the supply chain for SMC products. |
Stimulate increased global interest and capacity among manufacturers for quality assured SMC products
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As of early 2015, there was only one manufacturer of quality assured/ERP approved co-blistered SP+AQ. While the drugs are intended for children, the current drug formulation is not child friendly; health workerrs crush bitter tasting tablets and mix with sugar, adding to logistical challenges, creating potential for dosing problems, and reducing at-home regime adherence. As global demand has not previously been well defined, manufacturers were not convinced of financial viability of entering the demanding pre-qualification process for co-blistered SP+AQ nor investing in new product formulations. MMV will accurately forecast demand and provide targeted support to manufacturers to produce quality assured SMC products, including a child friendly, dispersible formulation. |
Accelerate creation of sustainable, funded demand for SMC
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Demand for SMC at community level must be generated through raising awareness about the benefits and safety of SMC among caregivers. Communication of feasibility and cost effectiveness is required to generate continued interest from other donors. SUA, CRS and Malaria Consortium will create an integrated communication campaign and use project evidence and experience to advocate to funders. |
Who’s who of ACCESS-SMC
MALARIA CONSORTIUM: a UK-based charity, focused on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of malaria, the control of neglected tropical diseases and the promotion of child health. Malaria Consortium is one of the few organizations with significant experience in SMC implementation. Malaria Consortium has been providing SMC in Nigeria since 2013, when a pilot project was rolled out in the states of Katsina and Jigawa, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as well as UKaid through DFID. In 2013 Malaria Consortium worked with the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) to provide SMC to 170,000 at-risk children. This approach was well received and resulted in a 70 percent reduction in all-cause presentation of fever in monitored health centres.
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES: a Baltimore-based American organization that aims to assist impoverished and disadvantaged people overseas, working in the spirit of Catholic social teaching to promote the sacredness of human life and the dignity of the human person. Although its mission is rooted in the Catholic faith, its operations serve people based solely on need, regardless of their race, religion or ethnicity.
LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE: a public research university located in London. Founded in 1899, it is now a constituent college of the University of London. It is a world-leading center for research and postgraduate education in public and global health, with a mission to improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy and practice.
MEDICINES FOR MALARIA VENTURE: a Swiss non-profit foundation, has a strong track record of managing research and development partnerships to discover and develop new drugs, in the area of Access & Delivery.
MANAGEMENT SCIENCES FOR HEALTH: is a non-profit organization with more than 40 years of experience in establishing, managing, and evaluating pharmaceutical sector activities in developing countries.
SPEAK UP AFRICA: a Dakar, Senegal-based national organization, focuses on health communications and advocacy and is charged with the mandate of urging Africans to step up and end malaria deaths by 2015.
UNITAID: is an international organization that invests in new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, tuberculosis and malaria more quickly, more affordably and more effectively. It accelerates access to innovation so that critical health products can reach the people who most need them. Unitaid’s work facilitates large-scale introduction of health products through funding by the Global Fund, the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and by governments. UNITAID has awarded up to $67 million to Malaria Consortium to oversee the roll out of ACCESS-SMC.