Successful public/private donation programs: a review of the Diflucan Partnership Program in South Africa

A review of the partnership between Pfizer Inc. and the South African Ministry of Health to distribute free Diflucan (fluconazole) in the Diflucan Partnership Program (DPP) demonstrates that product donations may be a useful response to AIDS if they are coupled with efforts to build means of drug distribution and enhance professional healthcare capacity to treat patients. Equally important is the creation of a new set of productive working relationships between stakeholders who came to the project with different backgrounds and perspectives, as well as a frankly disparate set of objectives. A decision tree illustrates how these relationships were built into the DPP. This review concludes with a few lessons learned in providing medicines not only to South Africa, but also to the 77 other African countries now participating in the DPP. As the search for new treatments and vaccines continues, increasing access to existing medicines through targeted donations--including training and infrastructure support--is the most practical way for the health community to address the problem of ill health among the poor. In addition to a detailed analysis of the DPP, there is also a discussion of the benefits of a donation program that addresses the AIDS crises on a global scale. This review may serve as a blueprint for establishing programs that are successful in fighting AIDS and improving the lives of millions of people.