Substandard and falsified (SF) medicines, found on the market in every country, can undermine national health programs and goals. A critical but often hidden part of the health system is medical product quality assurance (MPQA), which works to ensure the quality, safety, and effectiveness of medicines and medical products.
Improving the MPQA system entails strengthening several health systems functions simultaneously, recognizing their connections to each other and facilitating interactions among these building blocks. As the COVID pandemic illustrated, the actors in this system play critical roles in ensuring that medicines, vaccines, and health products are safe and effective.
In this webinar, PQM+ shares how USAID’s early and long-term investments in strengthening MPQA systems are paying off continent-wide in Africa as well as in many individual countries, including Benin, Kenya, Ghana, Mali, and Pakistan. PQM+ also shares a new model that estimates the health and economic costs of substandard and falsified medicines, generating findings that can inform government funding and health priorities.
