Rockville, Maryland, May 29, 2024 – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today a new project, Diversifying Asia’s Pharmaceutical Supply Chain, which plans to provide US$5 million to sustainably produce, regulate, and export quality-assured medical products and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
The two-year project will leverage two important, but distinct, USAID programs – the U.S. Pharmacopeia-led Promoting the Quality of Medicines Plus (PQM+) program and the International Development Group-led Indo-Pacific Opportunity Program (IPOP) – that will implement the project, combining unique expertise and capabilities to expand the pharmaceutical industry in Central Asia. The initiative aims to strengthen capacity in the areas of manufacturing, governance, regulatory systems, procurement, technology, and workforce development to improve overall competitiveness of the pharmaceutical sector in the two countries, reduce reliance on imported medical products, and minimize supply chain disruptions.
“Patients in Central Asia deserve safe, effective, and quality-assured medicines they can trust,” said Jude I. Nwokike, PQM+ director and USP vice president. “USAID’s Diversifying Asia’s Pharmaceutical Supply Chain project will improve the pharmaceutical sector’s capacity to produce and regulate quality-assured active ingredients and drug products in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to the benefit of patients in Central Asia.”
Specifically, the project will expand local production of key starting materials (KSMs) and APIs in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to improve the availability of regionally produced medical products and promote a more diversified supply chain.
The project will also focus on improving business readiness and commercial viability of the local pharmaceutical industry to attract investment and contribute to more equitable and timely access to affordable, quality-assured medical products.
USAID kicked off the project in Uzbekistan today. In both countries, the project plans to:
- Conduct a manufacturing landscape analysis to assess the supply and demand of 10 priority APIs that each country could manufacture regionally;
- Develop and advance new chemical synthesis processes and analytical methods for at least one API;
- Develop a national pharmaceutical manufacturing strategy for each country to prioritize locally produced medicines;
- Strengthen regulatory and laboratory capacity to conduct quality testing of APIs and finished products;
- Produce a customized package of industry incentives; and
- Strengthen workforce capacity by facilitating trainings with local regulators and manufacturers.
USP Media Contact:
Nazila Fathi (she/her)
Email: nazila.fathi@usp.org
Phone: +1-301-816-8547
About PQM+
The Promoting the Quality of Medicines Plus (PQM+) program is a six-year cooperative agreement between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) to sustainably strengthen medical product quality assurance systems in low- and middle-income countries.
About USP
USP is an independent, international, and scientific nonprofit organization focused on building trust in the supply of safe, quality medical products. We strengthen the global supply chain so that the medical products people rely on are available when needed and work as expected. USP has 16 offices across 13 countries and has implemented global health programs in 90+ countries worldwide.