The private sector can and should play an important role in public health, but it remains to be seen whether or not the benefits that have arisen from the AMFm could have been achieved through alternative mechanisms and potentially at lower cost.

Abstract

Increased donated and subsidised medicines for malaria are saving countless lives in Africa, but there is probably increasing theft and diversion of those medicines. The impact of medicine diversion is unknown but potentially dangerous and may bolster criminal networks and increase medicine stock outs (1,2). This study demonstrates...

The malaria community has done a great job over the past decade to combat the disease. But this may be about to change.

Last week a major international health donor had to admit it had lost over two million dollars of medicines and $34 million in cash to corruption. But the situation is worse than publicly acknowledged and is set to deteriorate further.

Most anti-malarial drugs are obtained in the private sector and few of the widely discussed drugs are actually bought by most Africans.

Malaria is becoming increasingly resistant to even the most modern drugs--largely due to badly made or counterfeit medicine.

Counterfeit pharmaceuticals in Southeast Asia could pose a serious global health risk.

The Global Fund is to be commended for its transparency, but it has failed to act on the information it has gleaned, and continues to allow its funds to be used by governmental distribution systems known to be corrupt.