Oxford Statement following the MQPH 2018 Conference

Access to safe and effective medical coverage is essential to WHO goals.
There is no universal health coverage, no health security without access to quality medicines.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO, 27 September 2018

Oxford Statement

October 2018: Every person has the right to expect that when they use a medical product, whether medicine, vaccine or diagnostic kit, it works. But too often, that is not the case. Substandard medical products result from errors, negligence or poor practice in manufacturing, transportation and/or storage. In contrast, falsified products result from criminal fraud. Both innovative and generic products are affected.

While substandard and falsified (SF) medical products are found worldwide, they are more prevalent in countries with under-resourced national medicine regulatory authorities (NMRAs).

Representatives of governments, national and international agencies, non-governmental organisations, professional associations and academic institutions participated in the 1^st International Conference on Medicine Quality & Public Health at Keble College, Oxford 23-28 September 2018.

The conference discussed the latest evidence on the epidemiology of SF medical products, their health, economic, social, legal and ethical implications, and debated interventions to ensure that all the world’s population have access to affordable and quality-assured medical products.

The organisations comprising the #MedsWeCanTrust Campaign and others listed below have reached consensus that:

• The quality of medical products is critical to protect lives globally. Substandard and falsified medical products negate the benefits of access to modern healthcare, especially for the most vulnerable.
• We must work collaboratively across sectors to raise awareness, encourage political will, investment and action to make quality medical products affordable and accessible to all.
• We will work in support of WHOs recommendation for the Prevent, Detect and Respond framework against SF medical products and for the global strengthening of medicines regulatory systems.
• We call on governments, national and international organisations and funders to prioritise human capacity and financial investment to ensure effective, efficient and consistent quality assurance by all NMRAs, including improved data sharing and harmonisation, with linked efficient procurement and supply systems leading to equitable access and improved global health.

A detailed consensus statement is in development with all conference partners comprising priorities and recommendations for the Medicine Quality community. It is anticipated this will be published in 2019.

#Medicines We Can Trust  is a global campaign that seeks to create a sense of urgency around poor-quality medicines, inspire collective action and unify a diverse and broad coalition of partners to advocate for the right to safe and quality medicines.

Signatories (in alphabetical order)

Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA)

The Association of Mongolian Pharmacy Professionals

Medicines Working Group of Be-cause Health

Brazzaville Foundation

CIRM VIBRASANTE hub & V4F Consortium

Clinica Integral Almas (CIAM A.C.)

Concept Foundation

Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS)

Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research at York University, Canada

East African Center of Excellence for Vaccines, Immunizations and Health Supply Chain Management

The Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management at Erasmus University

Farmanguinhos, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Ministry of Health Brazil

The George Institute for Global Health

Global Clinical Practice Alliance (GCPA)

hera

Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO)

InnoSpectra

Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp

Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (French Research Institute for Development)

Intellectual Ventures’ Global Good Fund

International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations (IAPO)

The Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology, Lund University, Sweden

Kanazawa University, Medi-Quality Security Institute, Japan

Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA)

Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Lund University Faculty of Medicine

Mahidol Oxford Research Unit, University of Oxford

Malaria No More UK

Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV)

Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies (MEDS)

Nangarhar University Medical Faculty, Afghanistan

National Agency for Food & Drug Administration (NAFDAC), Nigeria

National Medical Stores (NMS), Uganda

National Medical Supplies Fund, Sudan

Optel

QUAMED (Quality of Medicines for All)

Save the Children

Solthis

Strategic Initiative for Developing Capacity in Ethical Review (SIDCER)

University of Asia Pacific, Dhaka, Bangladesh

University of Malawi College of Medicine

University of the Western Cape, School of Public Health, South Africa

USP

Wellcome