Medicines are procured through a variety of approaches, and governments, non-governmental organizations, and health care systems aim to purchase the most medicines possible for the least amount of reasonable cost.
USP Quality Institute research will investigate how procurement policies and practices drive behavior that impacts quality further down the supply chain.
USP, in collaboration with the Government of Kerala (India), conducted a study of quality assurance practices in the public procurement system of the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd. (KMSCL). The study identifies best practices from KMSCL useful to other Indian states and countries and opportunities for, strengthening the existing public procurement system.
The Government of Belgium, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Sida, the Republic of South Africa’s Department of Health, and USP cohosted a roundtable discussion on medicines procurement on the margins of the 72nd World Health Assembly in May 2019.
Supply chain security requires a multilayer approach that includes prevention, detection, and response strategies and actions. USP, a designated Center of Excellence by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, is helping enhance implementation and sustainability of supply chain integrity to protect medicines quality.