MeTA Peru’s new pathways to improve access to medicines

One of the main successes has been the multi-stakeholder process which includes the private, public and civil society sectors. This process is working for the time being, but it has not advanced far enough for us to assess what are the interests of the stakeholders sitting round the table, particularly for the private sector. In comparison, the roles of the state and civil society seem to be clearer. Both groups   have been working on the issue of access to medicines to some degree. Civil society has been working on health as a human right for some time, and the state has been working at its end too and also understands that civil society has a valuable role to play. Civil society has four seats on the MeTA Peru national council.

One of our first priorities has been around the issue of medicines quality, and public perceptions of quality. We have prioritised the issue of quality and have created a prices observatory where we can make available to the average consumer a list of medicines prices, and the different places from where they have come. Citizens can become active participants in knowing this information. We want to make information transparent through this price observatory. There is already some beginning of a price observatory on the web, but we need legislation to recognise and legalise this observatory to give it the ‘teeth’ to regulate the pharmaceutical market. In addition, Peru does not have a national policy on generics and we think this advocacy for a generics policy is a priority for MeTA Peru.

In practical terms, we want to work on the issue of transparency of data about prices but also make information available on the whole of the supply chain. We are looking at working with a logistical operator and we want to involve civil society organisations in a vigilance process, so they are involved not only at the end of the supply chain, but at the start too.

In terms of collecting accurate data on the medicines supply chain, we face some serious challenges. Data about medicines is currently made available physically and virtually. But there are barriers.  In most cases, the data is managed directly by an individual or an entity. Sometimes the data arrive late and is therefore untimely or it is simply not disseminated. In addition, management, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers exist. There is a need for public institutions to commit to providing information to users in a timely manner. The current existing laws in Peru regarding transparency in information must be disseminated at all levels so that people can exercise their right to access information. Technological and human resources support is needed in public institutions in order for transparency of information about medicines to become more effective and efficient.

MeTA Peru is working hard to operate in a democratic fashion, accept that there are differences between stakeholders, and then to find consensus between us on particular issues and overcome barriers to obtaining and disseminating medicines data.