A novel partnership is delivering unused medical supplies and equipment from clinical research sites to under-resourced health facilities. The kits4life initiative, managed by The Task Force’s MedSurplus Alliance (MSA), brings together pharmaceutical companies, research facilities, and medical supply recovery organizations for an innovative donation program that provides necessary resources to under-stocked health facilities, diverts the same supplies from landfills, and advances quality in-kind donation practices.
Proposed by Greg Folz, Administrative Director, Research Institute of Deaconess Clinic and life sciences industry leader, in response to clinical research staff concerns about the environmental impact of destroying lab supplies, the kits4life initiative garnered support from the Society of Clinical Research Sites (SCRS), an organization that represents 9,500 research sites in 47 countries, who now donate the excess supplies and equipment. In addition to SCRS, the initiative attracted numerous industry stakeholders including IQVIA, Janssen, UST Global, Eli Lilly, and Bayer.
Due to MSA’s medical supplies and equipment Standards and Accreditation program and their network of Accredited Medical Surplus Recovery Organizations, the founding members wanted MSA to guide the initiative to ensure supplies are processed in accordance with World Health Organization Guidelines, the highest donation standards, and distributed to vetted organizations in low- and middle-income countries.
Currently, the initiative is distributing specialized equipment like swabs used for COVID-19 tests and other consumables. Beyond supplying life-saving medical products to communities in-need, the initiative has an environmental purpose because many of these surplus products would end up in landfills.
“[I am] proud to be part of this humanitarian and Go Green cause at Bayer,” said Mark Ryan, VP, Head Site Management, Americas Region at Bayer Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals. “Bayer Clinical Development Operations (CDO) uncover a cause that will change lives and lessen the impact on the environment while creating a new way of handling unused supplies for clinical trials.”
To highlight this initiative, Bayer’s CDO Communications produced a short video on the kits4life partnership.
Also See
Adapting Public Health Efforts to a COVID-19 World
Related
