The Partnership for Supply Chain Management (PFSCM) is pleased to announce that it has joined the USAID-initiated Antimicrobial Resistance Access and Stewardship Initiative (AMRASI). AMRASI is a coalition of multisectoral partners working to address the challenges of AMR in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
PFSCM Director Edward Wilson is excited to join AMRASI and to leverage PFSCM’s experience in support of practical, impactful, and scalable models for access and stewardship:
“We are dedicated to addressing the challenges of AMR by working to improve access to antimicrobials and the clinical diagnostics that enable their appropriate use. We welcome the opportunity to work with other organizations and governments to support their efforts to fight AMR.”
Identifying market-related challenges and opportunities
AMRASI will evaluate the unique market challenges related to AMR in LMICs, and identify market-driven opportunities for change. This will be followed by country-level interventions to improve the availability of diagnostic tools and the appropriate use of antimicrobial treatments. By initially dissecting the barriers and facilitators of access and appropriate use at the country- and syndrome-levels, AMRASI strives to incrementally reach economies of scale through expansion to other syndromes, settings, and countries.
End-to-end procurement, logistics, and technical assistance to LMICs
PFSCM is a nonprofit organization that provides end-to-end procurement, logistics, and technical assistance for health and clinical laboratory products in LMICs. PFSCM’s membership in AMRASI will enable us to leverage this expertise to simplify the procurement and delivery of essential diagnostics and other healthcare products to address the gaps in access to AMR commodities.
Poor access to clinical diagnostics and treatments in LMICs is often related to procurement and supply chain challenges. PFSCM has been working to increase access to critical testing and treatments in LMICs since 2005. PFSCM maintains a large portfolio of AMR-related products for clinical decision-making and surveillance, including manual and automated microbiological diagnostics, molecular diagnostics, microscopy, autoclaves, biohazardous waste management equipment, and genetic sequencing.
Since 2019, PFSCM has served as an official procurement service agent for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria’s Pooled Procurement Mechanism. In the past 10 years, PFSCM has procured $6.6 billion worth of diagnostics, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals for 122 countries and delivered 38,110 shipments.
PFSCM commitment to collaboration in the fight against AMR
PFSCM is committed to improving LMIC access to essential antimicrobials, the clinical diagnostics necessary to enable their appropriate use, and the tools to provide improved surveillance of resistance profiles and emerging antimicrobial threats. PFSCM maintains relationships with suppliers and follows best practices in quality assurance. We work collaboratively to develop customized services and contracts to meet the specific needs of a range of clients, including donors, implementing partner organizations, and ministries of health. To this end, we welcome collaborations with donors, implementers, and governments.