Estimating antimalarial drugs consumption in Africa before the switch to artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs)
2007

Estimating Antimalarial Drug Consumption in Africa

publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Kindermans Jean-Marie, Vandenbergh Daniel, Vreeke Ed, Olliaro Piero, D'Altilia Jean-Pierre

Primary Institution: AEDES Foundation

Hypothesis

How can we accurately estimate the consumption of antimalarial drugs in Africa?

Conclusion

The study estimates that Africa's annual need for financing ACT procurement could range from US$ 113 million to US$ 566.1 million.

Supporting Evidence

  • The study found that the number of adult treatments per capita in the five countries ranged from 0.18 to 0.50.
  • Current adult treatment prices for ACTs range from US$ 1 to US$ 1.8.
  • The highest estimated number of adult treatments consumed in Africa was 314.5 million.

Takeaway

This study looks at how much antimalarial medicine is used in Africa to help plan for future needs. It found that a lot of money is needed to buy these medicines.

Methodology

Data on drug consumption was collected from five sub-Saharan African countries through visits and interviews with supply chain stakeholders.

Potential Biases

Potential biases may arise from external factors affecting consumption and the choice of study countries based on epidemiological rather than statistical criteria.

Limitations

The study faced challenges in data collection, especially from the private sector, and the informal sector was not systematically analyzed.

Participant Demographics

Data were collected from five countries: Senegal, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, representing diverse geographical and epidemiological settings.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1475-2875-6-91

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