Former President Clinton Launches Pilot ACT Subsidy for Malaria Treatments

Former President Clinton and Tanzanian Minister of Health, David Mwakyusa, announced a pilot artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT) subsidy to increase the availability of the most effective malaria medicines through commonly used drug shops in two rural areas of Tanzania.

The program is a joint effort of the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI), the Government of Tanzania and Population Services International (PSI) and is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The pilot program is designed to test a comprehensive set of interventions to improve ACT access to help facilitate the launch of similar efforts at a national or global scale, CHAI said.

According to CHAI and its partners, half of patients with malaria in Tanzania seek treatment for their illness through private drug shops instead of public health facilities. Due to high drug prices, most patients are unable to access ACTs through these shops, usually purchasing medicines that have been rendered ineffective by drug resistance.

Through the pilot program, CHAI said it will make the recommended ACT (a combination of artemether and lumefantrine) available at 90 percent less than the current market price to a national drug wholesaler, which will then distribute the drugs to rural shops.

In addition, the program will provide patients with information they need to obtain the correct drugs and use them appropriately and train drug shop employees in diagnosing and treating malaria, the partners added.