Claudia Martínez to speak at ARV Summit and AMMTEC on strategies to improve access to medicine in Africa

Countries with limited access to essential medicines often experience disproportionately high disease burdens, as seen with HIV rates in sub-Saharan Africa. In these regions, expanding access to antiretroviral drugs is vital for curbing infection rates and saving lives.

The Annual Antiretrovirals (ARV) Buyer-Seller Summit, organised by UNITAID, brings together stakeholders across the African health sector – including policymakers, procurers and antiretroviral manufacturers – to discuss barriers preventing reliable access to drugs indicated for HIV.

As an attendee, Claudia will share strategies for reducing reliance on imported pharmaceuticals, a practice that perpetuates supply chain instability and undermines access efforts.

Alongside the summit, Claudia will participate as a panelist at the African Medicines Manufacturing Trade Exhibition and Conference (AMMTEC). This year’s theme, “Shaping the Market: Moving from Intent to Demand for African-Manufactured Medicines,” centres around promoting growth in Africa’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector.

During the panel, Claudia plans to share recommendations for pharmaceutical companies and their supply chain partners, including: 

• Best practices for access planning and product registration 

• Examples of how research-based companies are developing successful local manufacturing operations in African countries 

• The critical role of partnerships in building supply chain models that sustain product availability 

Both events provide opportunities for the Foundation to influence key stakeholders in African medical supply chain, based on in-depth analyses of pharmaceutical companies’ activities from the newly launched 2024 Access to Medicine Index.