USD 31 million saved by GDF through newly-reduced prices for TB medicines
The Global Drug Facility’s reduced prices are immediately available to all programs, regardless of their procurement funding source, including: national TB programs, governments, non-governmental organizations, and others.
14 June 2018, Geneva, Switzerland - The Stop TB
Partnership’s Global Drug Facility (GDF) is pleased to
announce today agreements signed with 28 medicines manufacturers
for 83 products that will substantially reduce the prices of
medicines used in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). As an
outcome of GDF ’s recent competitive tender, savings of
approximately USD 31 million are expected in the April 2018 to
March 2019 period.
The USD 31 million in savings represent 14% of USD 217 million
in TB medicines delivered by GDF in 2017. If the USD 31 million
in savings were used to purchase additional medicines, the
savings would be sufficient to provide 960,000 people with
drug-sensitive TB medicines, 53,000 people with shorter regimens
for drug-resistant TB, or up to 37,000 people with conventional
regimens for drug-resistant TB.
“Today’s announcement by GDF is a critical step in
achieving the broadest possible access to quality-assured TB
medicines and will facilitate treating tens of thousands of more
people at more affordable prices. GDF has clearly shown their
leadership role in procurement and market-shaping of TB
medicines,” said Dr. Joanne Carter, Vice-Chair of the Stop
TB Partnership Coordinating Board and Executive Director of
RESULTS in the USA.
Reduced medicine prices translate into lower TB treatment costs.
GDF’s new prices for conventional, multidrug-resistant
(MDR) TB treatment regimens are now as low as USD 812, leading
to savings of up to 33% compared to 2017 prices of USD 1,214.
Similar price reductions were realized for shorter MDR-TB
treatment regimens which are now as low as USD 571, resulting in
27% savings from the 2017 price of USD 779.
“As countries assume increasing responsibility for
financing TB care, we are seeing more and more countries
procuring TB medicines and diagnostics via GDF with domestic
funds. In 2017 alone, 103 countries procured TB products via GDF
with donor funds, while 34 countries procured TB products via
GDF with domestic funds. These new, lower prices will be
especially helpful to national programs who are using their
moniesto procureTB products.” said Dr. Brenda Waning,
Chief of Stop TB Partnership’s Global Drug Facility.
To purchase these medicines or to get more information about
GDF’s portfolio of TB products, please contact us via
email at [email protected]
“The expertise of the team and the determination to serve
the people in need are recognizable marks of GDF. With this
significant price reduction, we are moving in the right
direction to closing the significant treatment gaps as we move
toward finding and treating 40 million people with TB by 2022,
as we hope the United Nations High-Level Meeting on TB will
endorse,” said Dr. Lucica Ditiu, Stop TB
Partnership’s Executive Director.
An estimated 10.4 million people fell ill with TB in 2016
worldwide, including 490,000 MDR- TB cases. GDF’s newest
price reductions will significantly add to efforts to scale up
access and reach treatment targets set forth in the WHO End TB
Strategy and the Global Plan to End TB.
About GDF
GDF strives to ensure timely access to affordable, quality-assured TB medicines and diagnostics. GDF achieves this through market coordination; technical assistance on procurement and supply chain management; support on new product launch and introduction; and innovative procurement tools, including a strategic and competitive bidding process, a newly redesigned strategic rotating stockpile, and an online order management system. GDF is the world’s largest procurer of TB medicines and diagnostics for the public sector. In 2017, GDF managed USD 327 million in TB medicines and diagnostics orders for 119 countries.
Source:
Stop TB Partnership
