Supply chains: the key catalyst in the fight against malaria

Malaria is a life-threatening disease spread to humans by some types of mosquitoes, predominantly found in tropical regions. While it is preventable and treatable, malaria continues to pose a significant threat to millions globally.

Every year on April 25, the global health community observes World Malaria Day, a moment to reflect on progress, confront challenges, and renew our commitment to a malaria-free world.

This year’s theme—Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite—calls on all stakeholders to drive bold, innovative solutions and strengthen systems that make malaria prevention and treatment accessible to all.

At the Partnership for Supply Chain Management (PFSCM), we create strong, market-driven supply chains that are key to this transformation. Without effective and agile supply chains, reinvestment efforts stall, reimagined strategies fail, and the fight against malaria cannot be reignited. We must ensure that lifesaving health products reach the right place at the right time, every time.

Did You Know?

• A persistent global crisis
  Despite being both preventable and treatable, malaria still claims nearly 597,000 lives each year. In Africa, children under five bear the brunt of this burden, accounting for 76% of malaria deaths.
• Geographic concentration
  Over half of these fatalities are concentrated in just four countries: Nigeria (30.9%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (11.3%), Niger (5.9%), and the United Republic of Tanzania (4.3%).

 

Why rapid diagnostics matter

Different types of malaria rapid diagnostic tests (mRDTs) are essential because various regions have different species of the Plasmodium parasite, with P. falciparum being the most dangerous. MRDTs work by detecting specific proteins (antigens) in the blood, and some are designed to target only P. falciparum, while others can identify multiple species. Accurate species identification is crucial for effective treatment, as different species respond differently to medications. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends selecting mRDTs that detect specific antigens to ensure precise diagnoses and better treatment outcomes.

Strengthening supply chains is critical to ensuring that essential malaria products reach those most at risk, closing the gap between innovation and access.

 

Reinvesting in market-driven supply chains

Ending malaria requires reinvestment—not only in research and innovation but also in the mechanisms that deliver malaria products to the communities that need them most.

 

How smart sourcing and procurement create market-driven supply chains

Market-driven supply chains leverage proven procurement techniques like category management and market-shaping strategies to optimize procurement, improve cost efficiencies, and ensure sustainable access to essential health products.

Through strategic partnerships and innovative procurement models, PFSCM has streamlined sourcing, reduced lead times, and enhanced supplier reliability. By leveraging data-driven forecasting and demand planning, we ensure malaria products are available when and where they are needed most.

We leverage category management and market-driven supply chain expertise to combat malaria by enhancing the availability and accessibility of essential health commodities in low- and middle-income countries.

Through category management, we assist clients in developing sustainable procurement strategies that reduce risks, save costs, and improve supplier relationships. This includes market analysis, spend management, risk mitigation, and supplier performance enhancement, ensuring that health products are sourced efficiently and effectively.

We are committed to quality assurance, strategic sourcing, and efficient logistics, which underpin our role in strengthening health systems and supporting malaria programs worldwide.

 

How smart logistics can strengthen the fight against malaria

A key aspect of strengthening malaria supply chains is ensuring that essential health products like mRDTs are delivered cost-effectively and efficiently. At PFSCM, we achieve this through transport planning initiatives like load optimization—a strategic approach that maximizes space in shipping containers while considering temperature control, warehouse compatibility, and recipient needs.

 

How load optimization saves costs and increases efficiency

mRDTs are lightweight, compact, and often shipped in bulk, making them ideal for load optimization. By carefully configuring shipment sizes and maximizing space utilization, PFSCM helps health programs:

• Reduce freight costs—recipients can save up to 25% on shipping expenses.
• Improve delivery efficiency—fewer shipments mean faster turnaround and fewer delays.
• Minimize environmental impact—consolidated shipments reduce the number of trips and lower carbon emissions.

 

How we tailor shipments for every recipient

Not all health facilities have the same storage and handling capabilities, so a one-size-fits-all approach to logistics can lead to inefficiencies. PFSCM customizes shipments and transport plans based on:

• Pallet sizing—ensuring shipments align with warehouse storage and material-handling equipment.
• Offloading capacity—organizing and/or staggering shipments so warehouses can manage receipt.
• Temperature-sensitive packaging—protecting mRDTs from extreme heat or cold.
• Regulatory compliance—navigating complex global shipping and import requirements.

PFSCM recently coordinated the seamless delivery of seven 40‑foot refrigerated containers loaded with rapid test kits for Plasmodium falciparum malaria. In just 15 to 20 minutes, these point‑of‑care RDTs detect the HRP‑2 antigen from a small blood sample, allowing health workers to rapidly diagnose and treat malaria without laboratory equipment.

Shipped under strict temperature control from the supplier’s warehouse in India to the national medical stores in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, this large‑scale operation could easily have incurred costly delays. Instead, PFSCM secured detailed cargo data well before pickup, partnered with our 3PL to pre‑book containers, and aligned a freight forwarder at origin. We validated the kits’ expiry dates within 24 hours and fast‑tracked export‑document approval to keep everything on schedule. Early coordination of inland transport ensured each container arrived on time and unloaded without a single demurrage or detention charge—turning what could have been a drawn‑out process into a textbook example of supply‑chain efficiency.

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Our impact in numbers

• Between 2024 and April 2025, PFSCM identified load optimization opportunities for mRDTs valued at more than $51 million.
• These optimizations directly benefited 34 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
• In 2024 alone, PFSCM delivered about 175.8 million rapid diagnostic tests to 49 countries.

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Uganda: innovating supply chains to deliver lifesaving diagnostics

Between 2024 and 2025, PFSCM supported Uganda’s Ministry of Health with large malaria diagnostic shipments, delivering over 1.6 million mRDTs in 74 temperature-controlled containers. The scale was enormous, and the journey from Mombasa to Kampala presented significant challenges: regional truck shortages, the risk of demurrage charges due to warehouse capacity, and the need for precise temperature management.

To overcome these hurdles, PFSCM adopted a proactive, recipient-first approach. We coordinated closely with the warehouse at every stage, providing early and ongoing notifications so space was ready as soon as containers arrived. By repalletizing shipments at a bonded warehouse before final delivery, we ensured cargo matched local specifications and avoided warehouse bottlenecks.

This solution minimized costly delays and reduced demurrage charges, while optimizing delivery timelines and storage efficiency. Through strong planning, real-time communication, and smart logistics with 3PL partners, Uganda received essential malaria tests quickly, safely, and ready to deploy.

Through load optimization, health programs typically save up to 25% on logistics costs, freeing up funds for other critical health interventions. By taking a recipient-first approach, PFSCM ensures that health programs receive their shipments not only on time but also in a format that is easy to store, distribute, and use effectively.

 

“Through load optimization, health programs typically save up to 25% on logistics costs, freeing up funds for other critical health interventions.”

 

Reimagining partnerships to build resilience, reach, and impact

Traditional supply chain models are no longer sufficient to meet the evolving challenges of malaria elimination. We must reimagine how we collaborate, shifting from transactional relationships to long-term, value-driven partnerships with clients, suppliers, logistics service providers, and global health organizations.

PFSCM is committed to strengthening stakeholder engagement, fostering innovation, and driving efficiency in procurement and logistics. Through our partnerships, we:

• Work with over 14 malaria product suppliers, ensuring the quality and reliability of essential malaria products delivered to global health partners.
• We have delivered over 45.9 million products, improving access to lifesaving malaria products in high-risk regions*.
• We have facilitated the distribution of malaria products to 49 countries*.

 

Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV)

As a trusted procurement and supply chain partner, PFSCM is well-positioned to collaborate with organizations like MMV to accelerate malaria elimination efforts. MMV’s work in developing next-generation malaria treatments is vital to combating drug resistance and improving patient outcomes. However, the full impact of these innovations depends on efficient procurement and distribution networks that can ensure life-saving treatments reach those in need.

In 2022, PFSCM was appointed as the procurement service agent for the Partnership for Vivax Elimination (PAVE) program, managing the supply process for G6PD analyzers for Peru, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. G6PD analyzers are used in the malaria response to measure glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme activity, helping determine if it’s safe to administer certain antimalarial drugs like primaquine or tafenoquine, which can cause hemolysis in G6PD-deficient individuals.

In 2025, PFSCM supported Medicines for Malaria Venture in delivering a 3,000‑kit shipment of G6PD test kits from South Korea to Ethiopia via air freight. These point‑of‑care tests check how much G6PD is in a person’s blood—a key way to spot anemia, which often happens when someone has malaria. Despite the temperature‑controlled requirements and a routine six‑week waiver lead time, the entire process was completed in just one week thanks to excellent communication and seamless coordination among PFSCM, the supplier, the PR, the local agent, and the 3PL partner. When Ethiopian customs unexpectedly requested additional permits at the last minute, PFSCM acted immediately on the 3PL’s alert, secured the necessary documentation from the supplier, and engaged the consignee team to obtain local approvals, ensuring delivery two weeks ahead of the project deadline.

This collaboration highlights the strength of aligning MMV’s groundbreaking treatments with PFSCM’s supply chain expertise. Together, we ensure the right products are delivered quickly and effectively to the most vulnerable populations.

 

Audere

Audere is a global digital health nonprofit dedicated to improving health care decision-making with AI-powered solutions. By leveraging advanced AI and mobile technologies, Audere develops digital tools that support disease diagnosis, testing, and health care access in underserved communities worldwide.

Audere’s HealthPulse platform includes AI-driven applications designed to enhance diagnostic accuracy, facilitate self-testing, and improve patient engagement. These solutions integrate seamlessly into healthcare ecosystems, supporting conditions such as malaria, HIV, and other infectious diseases. HealthPulse AI assists healthcare providers, community health workers, and pharmacists in ensuring accurate test result interpretation and efficient patient referrals, ultimately strengthening health systems.

PFSCM collaborates with Audere to support the implementation and scalability of its digital health solutions. Leveraging our expertise in supply chain management and global health logistics, PFSCM supports Audere with the procurement, donation channel management, and delivery of malaria and HIV rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). These tests are used in the training of Audere’s artificial intelligence algorithms that drive the administration and interpretation of RDTs in their HealthPulse AI solutions.

 

A multi-pronged approach to accelerate impact

The introduction of malaria vaccines marks a major milestone in the fight against malaria, particularly in high-burden regions. As of December 2024, 17 African countries, which account for about 70% of the global malaria burden, have integrated malaria vaccines into their routine childhood immunization programs. Since 2023, more than 12 million vaccine doses have been delivered, ensuring children in malaria-endemic regions receive lifesaving protection.

Malaria remains one of the leading causes of child mortality, with a child dying from the disease nearly every minute. By scaling up vaccination efforts alongside other WHO-recommended interventions, these vaccines are expected to save tens of thousands of lives annually. Early data from countries that pioneered the rollout, such as Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi, show a 13% reduction in child deaths from all causes, underscoring malaria’s significant impact on child health. As demand remains high, an additional eight countries are forecasted to introduce the vaccine in 2025, with more preparing for national-scale expansion in the coming years.

The introduction of malaria vaccines is a major milestone, but it is most effective when integrated with other proven malaria prevention and testing tools.

Prevention: dual-AI bed nets

To address growing mosquito resistance to traditional insecticides, dual active-ingredient (AI) bed nets are being deployed alongside vaccines. These next-generation bed nets use a combination of two insecticides—one to kill mosquitoes on contact and another to block their ability to develop resistance. Recent studies show that dual AI bed nets can reduce malaria cases by up to 40% compared to standard nets in high-resistance areas.

Resistance to malaria treatments and insecticides is an escalating challenge in global malaria control. As mosquitoes develop resistance to the insecticides used in bed nets, and the malaria parasite shows resistance to key treatments, controlling transmission becomes more difficult. This highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive approach that integrates prevention, treatment, and diagnostic innovation.

Testing: mRDT kits

Meanwhile, even with successful malaria vaccine rollouts, testing will remain a crucial part of the malaria response to accurately diagnose infections, guide appropriate treatment, monitor vaccine effectiveness, and detect non-vaccine-covered species or breakthrough cases, ensuring continued surveillance and control of the disease.

MRDTs are vital in this effort, enabling faster and more accurate detection of malaria. MRDTs detect specific antigens (proteins) produced by malaria parasites in the blood of infected individuals. Some RDTs can detect only one species (Plasmodium falciparum or P. vivax) while others detect multiple species (P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae and P. ovale). Blood for the test is commonly obtained from a finger-prick. This detection enables health care workers to directly prescribe the right treatment, thus preventing potential treatment resistance that may be caused by using the inappropriate treatment (drugs).

Combating malaria resistance requires ongoing innovation across prevention, treatment, and diagnostics. By combining these strategies, we can ensure a sustained and effective fight against malaria.

 

Reigniting the fight through collective action

Reigniting the fight against malaria requires renewed investment, collaboration, and innovative solutions. While great strides have been made, continued efforts are needed to strengthen health systems, improve access to essential medicines, and enhance the resilience of supply chains. By working together—governments, donors, private sector partners, and global health organizations—we can drive the momentum needed to eliminate malaria once and for all.

At PFSCM, we remain committed to leveraging our expertise in procurement and logistics to support global efforts in fighting infectious diseases. By fostering strategic partnerships and embracing market-driven approaches, we ensure that life-saving malaria products reach the communities that need them most.

 

A call to action: supply chains as a catalyst for change

This World Malaria Day, we reaffirm our commitment to reinvesting in resilient supply chains, reimagining partnerships, and reigniting the momentum toward a malaria-free world. The challenge is significant, but with coordinated action, market-driven strategies, and a relentless focus on innovation, we can drive lasting change.

Malaria ends with us—our collective will, our shared expertise, and our commitment to ensuring that no one is left behind.

Ending malaria requires a collective effort. By partnering with organizations like Audere and MMV, we can strengthen supply chains, improve access to essential medicines, and ensure that no one is left behind in the fight against malaria. Together, we can make a lasting impact.