PMI sharpens LLIN procurement policy
Concern amongst the malaria community of the inadequacy of current equivalence evaluations for long-lasting insecticidal nets under the WHOPES evaluation scheme has been highlighted in a memo released by USAID/ PMI on 3rd March 2013 entitled “Revised long lasting insecticide treated net (LLIN) procurement specifications for the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) program”.
The memo states that “After a technical review, PMI has determined that the equivalency status based only on Phase 1 laboratory studies is insufficient to determine eligibility for PMI procurement because these studies do not determine how the LLIN product functions in the field where other factors come into play, particularly physical durability and long-term bioefficacy”.