The Addressing the Challenges and Constraints of Insulin Sources and Supply (ACCISS) Study Guidelines for Procurement of Insulins and Associated Supplies were developed as a tool to provide strategies and methods to increase transparency and efficiency in procurement mechanisms, and thus to secure a stable supply of insulins, that is affordable and quality assured. These strategies have been informed by a study recently completed by ACCISS in Pacific countries, as well as through the review of the procurement of insulin and associated supplies through multi-country and global pooled procurement mechanisms.
Insulin is a life-saving medicine for people with type 1 diabetes and is used to manage care for an increasing number of people with type 2 diabetes. While insulin is an essential medicine, literature has highlighted its poor availability across the public and private health sectors in most low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)[1], with ranges most often below those set by World Health Organization (WHO) targets for non-communicable disease (NCD) medicines[2].
The objective of these ACCISS guidelines is to provide guidance to LMICs and specifically public sector procurers on how to improve procurement of insulins and associated supplies.
They will highlight the important aspects to consider for guaranteeing a continuous supply of quality-assured insulin and associated supplies at affordable prices. These guidelines could be used by staff involved in procurement activities to review their procurement process or as one tool to help guide the development and implementation of procurement strategies for insulin and associated supplies.
They are based on WHO good practices and international references for procurement, as well as information available in the ACCISS toolkit.
[1] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(15)00521-5/fulltext