The Partnership for Supply Chain Management (PFSCM), a nonprofit procurement services agent and supply chain solutions provider, is proud to announce that it has been included in the Resiliency through Azithromycin for Children (REACH) network.
Image courtesy of ITI / The REACH initiative
The REACH portfolio is a regional and international network of researchers, policymakers, and public health actors working to optimize and scale up Azithromycin mass drug administration for children under five in high-mortality countries, including Nigeria, Mali, and Niger. The aim is to reduce all-cause child mortality and improve child survival rates through the twice-yearly delivery of the macrolide oral suspension (powder) antibiotic.
With funding provided by the Gates Foundation, PFSCM has been tasked to define procurement specifications, manage the tender process, identify and negotiate terms with eligible suppliers, collaborate with suppliers for prequalification and product registration in recipient countries, establish and implement procurement processes, oversee product procurement and delivery per the agreed order schedules, track and report shipments, and handle grant management for the three abovementioned countries until December 2025.
PFSCM Chief Operating Officer Erin Seidner says PFSCM is humbled to be included in this innovative initiative to improve child survival rates and will collaborate closely with the network of partners to help further strengthen the supply chain.
“The supply chain behind the initiative is critical in ensuring a sustained supply of quality-assured, affordable, and fit-for-purpose antibiotics to the participating countries. We look forward to working with the portfolio partners to curb infant mortality in the participating countries.”
She adds that PFSCM has 20 years of experience serving public health programs and has delivered health products to nearly every country on the African continent, including Mali, Niger, and Nigeria.
“The REACH initiative is exciting based on the game-changing reduction to child mortality and how holistically the initiative is engaging in up- and down-stream supply chain interventions to support impactful results,” concludes Seidner.
- Results from the REACH trial, MORDOR, carried out in Malawi, Niger, and Tanzania between 2014 and 2017, showed that biannual mass treatment with azithromycin reduced under-five-year-old mortality by 13.5%, with the largest reductions seen in infants aged one to five months and in those areas where mortality rates were highest. In Niger alone, the reduction was 18.1%.
- The REACH portfolio of studies is funded by Gates Foundation and operates with the political will and consent of national governments, ministries of health, and other relevant national bodies.
- REACH has treated more than one million children in seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Image courtesy of ITI / The REACH initiative
Images provided by ITI as part of the REACH initiative.