Strategies to Reduce Risks in ARV Supply Chains in the Developing World

Strategies to Reduce Risks in ARV Supply Chains in the Developing World

By: Chris Larson, Robert Burn, Anja Minnick-Sakal, Meaghan O’Keefe Douglas, Joel Kuritsky
Publication: Global Health: Science and PraticeDec. 1, 2014; 2(4): 395-402. http://dx.doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-14-00105.

This article describes the practices employed by USAID and the Supply Chain Management System (SCMS) program to mitigate antiretroviral (ARV) supply chain risks. Key strategies of the main ARV procurement program for PEPFAR to reduce supply chain risks include: (1) employing pooled procurement to reduce procurement and shipping costs and to accommodate changing country needs by making stock adjustments at the regional level, and (2) establishing regional distribution centers to facilitate faster turnaround of orders within defined catchment areas.