Update: International HIV/AIDS Partnership Wins Two Awards for Supply Chain Excellence

WASHINGTON, July 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Partnership for Supply Chain Management (PFSCM), a partner of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), under the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), has won two prestigious awards for groundbreaking work on PEPFAR's Supply Chain Management System (SCMS). A project of PFSCM received the Supply Chain Innovation Award and Best Value Supply Chain Provider Award during the European Supply Chain and Logistics Summit held in Prague.  Competitors for the awards included well known private-sector companies.

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Established in 2005 and administered by USAID, as part of PEPFAR, SCMS provides a reliable, cost-effective and secure supply of high-quality medicines and health products for HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment.

"USAID is proud to work with the Partnership for Supply Chain Management to help improve the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS in countries most severely impacted by the epidemic," said Susan Brems, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Global Health at USAID. "We congratulate the Partnership on this most deserved honor and award."

Over the past five years, SCMS has delivered commodities valued at more than $600 million to PEPFAR-supported countries, virtually eliminating stock-outs of HIV/AIDS drugs and supplies in PEPFAR-supported program, and supporting more than one million people on treatment.

During the presentation ceremony, the award organizers noted, "Just a few years ago many doubted that HIV/AIDS commodities could be reliably delivered in sufficient quantities to the world's poorest nations. Since 2005, PFSCM has been ensuring the reliable availability of essential products to programs in the developing world and strengthening national supply chains to become sustainable mechanisms delivering these products to clients who need them."

The Supply Chain Innovation Award was awarded to PFSCM for the development of multiple innovative strategies.  These include regional distribution centers for pharmaceuticals in West and East Africa, use of cell phone technology to collect data and innovative educational partnerships with universities.

PFSCM has expanded its reach beyond HIV/AIDS to include malaria and other public health concerns.  In 2009, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria contracted PFSCM to procure antiretroviral drugs, artemisinin combination therapy drugs to fight malaria, laboratory supplies, reagents, test kits, condoms and other commodities for programs that participate in the Global Fund's Voluntary Pooled Procurement mechanism.

About PFSCM

Based in Arlington, VA, PFSCM (www.pfscm.org) was established by JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc., and Management Sciences for Health. The partnership's 13 team member organizations include non-profit organizations, commercial private sector corporations and academic institutions.

The European Supply Chain and Logistics Summit (SCL Europe 2010) took place 7th - 9th June 2010 at the Clarion Congress Hotel, Prague, Czech Republic, with attendance by more than 250 directors and heads of supply chain and logistics.

http://www.supplychainawards.com/index.asp

Public Information: 202-712-4810

SOURCE U.S. Agency for International Development