The REACH Network and its supply chain partners, the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) and the Partnership for Supply Chain Management (PFSCM), are pleased to announce an expansion to the global supply base of azithromycin for child survival.
Aurobindo Pharma Limited, a manufacturer based in Hyderabad, India, has now been officially recognized as a second supplier of the lifesaving antibiotic for the REACH Network.
The first supplier is Zhejiang Poly Pharm Co., Ltd., a manufacturer based in Hangzhou, China, that also supplies azithromycin powder 200mg/5ml oral suspension.
Expanding the supplier base is crucial to ensuring broader and more reliable access to azithromycin for REACH child survival campaigns.
Advisory panel drives progress
The announcement of Aurobindo as a new REACH supplier follows the first meeting of the Advisory Panel on Azithromycin for Child Survival (APACS).
The APACS panel advises on critical issues relating to Azithromycin mass drug administration within the REACH framework, including drug allocation, safety, supply chain planning, as well as strategies to reach the most vulnerable populations and monitor and mitigate antimicrobial resistance.
Taken together, these recent developments mark major steps forward for the REACH mission.
Immediate impact
The impact of the expansion is being felt immediately, with more REACH Network countries being able to benefit from the increased supply.
Countries can receive more products, more often, or even simultaneously, with two high-production suppliers scaling to meet the demand.
Child-friendly product configuration with a long shelf-life
Aurobindo’s product, ALZYL azithromycin powder 200mg/5ml oral solution, has a shelf life of 24 months, comes in a cherry-banana flavor, and is packaged into 48 bottles per carton, each supplied with a package insert and four dosing cups per bottle.
Zhejiang Poly Pharm’s azithromycin powder 200mg/5ml oral suspension has a 36-month shelf-life and comes in 60 bottles per carton, supplied with a package insert and four dosing cups per bottle.
Long, winding roads – but destination assured!
Supply chains are often long, complex, and full of moving parts. Yet REACH Network members can be confident that the supply chain for azithromycin for child survival is not only robust but highly efficient and effective.
Throughout all parts of the chain, immense effort is being made to ensure Azithromycin arrives precisely where it needs to be: in the communities where it will have the greatest possible impact in reducing child mortality.
