Product Issues
What is product issues?
Product issues can be related to the quality of the health products, including manufacturing or design defects that may impact the quality of the products, labeling, packaging, declared content ingredients or formulas.
Examples
- Example: a company makes false information about the quality of bed nets they manufacture.
- Example: A health center knowingly purchases malaria tests that give false readings.
Why should you care about product issues?
- Product issues weaken the ability of countries to fight the three diseases. Product issues can result in patients not receiving life-saving medicines or other health products such as insecticide treated mosquito nets that they are entitled to. It can result in patients having to buy medicines or other health products they should receive for free. It can also lead patients to unknowingly buy sub-standard or counterfeit products that can endanger their health.
- Product issues reduce the potential impact of Global Fund grants, discredit the ability of the Global Fund to carry out its mission and cause grant funds and medicines to be lost.
How do you spot product issues?
Product Issues can have the following red flags:
- Stock-outs of free medicines at public health facilities.
- Medicines labelled “Not for Retail Sale” in private pharmacies and markets for purchase.
- Medicines that have limited or no effect.
