title: The Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria--a success in peril.
abstract: The Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria (AMFm) has put into place a bold financing plan for artemisinin-combination therapy in a pilot phase in seven countries covering half the population at risk of malaria in Africa. A report of the AMFm independent evaluation, conducted by ICF International and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, describes the success of the programme in the pilot sites: Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania (mainland and Zanzibar) and Uganda, comparing availability and affordability of high-quality artemisinin-combination therapies before and after AMFm launched. Proof of concept was achieved: AMFm increased availability and kept prices low, meeting its initial, ambitious benchmarks in most settings. Despite this overwhelming success, opposition to the programme and dwindling resources for malaria control conspire to cripple or kill AMFm.
authors.affiliation: World Wide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN), Malaria Public Health Department, University of Oxford/KEMRI/Wellcome Trust Research Programme, PO Box 43640, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya. atalisuna@nairobi.kemri-wellcome.org
authors.forename: Ambrose O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Talisuna
authors.forename: Seraphine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Adibaku
authors.forename: Chioma N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Amojah
authors.forename: George K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Amofah
authors.forename: Vivian
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Aubyn
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dodoo
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Juma
authors.forename: Djermakoye H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Jackou
authors.forename: Sigsbert
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mkude
authors.forename: Albert P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Okui
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ramarosandratana
authors.forename: Shija J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Shija
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007783:Lactones / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D037621:Artemisinins; D007783:Lactones; C075875:artemisin