17 June 2016
GENEVA - The Stop TB Partnership today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to optimize access to TB health products and pharmaceutical services in countries receiving Global Fund financing for TB.
The Stop TB Partnership's Global Drug Facility (GDF) is the largest supplier of quality assured patient treatments, including first line drugs, second line drugs and pediatric formulations, as well as diagnostics. It is a unique TB medicines procurement mechanism, and provides targeted technical assistance, innovative supply management tools and institutional capacity strengthening to countries for accelerated uptake of new TB products.
The Global Fund and Stop TB Partnership recognize the potential for a more strategic partnership between the Global Fund and Stop TB Partnership's GDF and the mutual benefits to be gained through structured, collaborative engagement to optimize TB markets and improve the supply chain of TB health products to countries supported by the Global Fund.
"By signing this memorandum of understanding, we can strengthen the global response to ending TB and get the diagnostics and medicines to those who need it the most," said Lucica Ditiu, Executive Director of the Stop TB Partnership. "This agreement solidifies the very reasons that our GDF was created and will expand access to quality-assured anti-TB medicines and TB health products, including the introduction of new medicines and tools and regimens."
Under the agreement, the Global Fund and Stop TB will align pooled procurement and market shaping strategies, demand forecasting, and continuous performance improvement activities.
"We really have to accelerate progress on TB, and this is just one step in that direction," said Mark Dybul, Executive Director of the Global Fund. "We already work closely with Stop TB, and this agreement will make our collaboration even stronger."
As of December 2015, the GDF delivered a total of 25.8 million adult first line drugs patient treatments, 1.5 million first line drug pediatric patient treatments and 197,778 second line drugs treatments. It has also contributed to active case-finding by procuring diagnostics worth US$131 million to more than 76 countries.