[afro-nets] Discussion about WHOPES and Long-lasting Insecticidal Nets to control malaria

["Philip Coticelli" <pcoticelli@gmail.com>]

Discussion about WHOPES and Long-lasting Insecticidal Nets to control malaria
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The World Health Organization and Vestergaard-Frandsen have published replies to AFM's Occasional Paper, "WHOPES and Its Impact on Long-lasting Insecticidal Net Availability".  Below is an except:

WHO is not a regulatory authority. The regulatory approval of pesticide products is the sole prerogative of national authorities. WHOPES recommendations aim to facilitate pesticide registration and use by WHO Member States, and must be based on sufficient data and information. In response to the urgent needs of public health programmes, LNs have been the only exception in the 45 years of WHOPES history for which a fast-track evaluation system has been established and "interim recommendations" have been given for their use. These interim recommendations follow specific criteria detailed in the Guidelines for laboratory and field testing of long-lasting insecticidal mosquito nets cited above...

...We note with concern the market-related issues raised by Coticelli, i.e., the requirement for WHOPES testing and evaluation has restricted these products from participating in most public tenders; has restricted competition; and has kept prices high. WHO however believes that it would be irresponsible for public funds to be used for the purchase of LNs without adequate safety and efficacy assessments. Given the limited resources and infrastructure of malaria endemic countries to carry out proper product assessments, there is a clear risk that substandard and counterfeit products will enter the market and endanger the lives of millions of people, unless internationally agreed quality-control standards are in place.

You can read the rest of the discussion at:
http://fightingmalaria.org/research.aspx?id=773

Philip Coticelli
Africa Fighting Malaria
1050 17th Street, NW, Suite 520
Washington, D.C. 20036 USA
Office: +1-202-223-3519
Fax: +1-202-223-3646
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http://www.fightingmalaria.org
mailto:pcoticelli@gmail.com