About us

ADP works to ensure that people in low- and middle-income countries have access to life-saving health technologies – medicines, vaccines and diagnostic tools – with an emphasis on those technologies that address tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases.

The partners

ADP brings together the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) and PATH in a unique partnership that helps identify and strengthen capacity gaps in low- and middle-income countries in an innovative and integrated way.

Strengthening national health systems

In line with the overarching approach of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, ADP adopts a systemic and integrated perspective towards health system strengthening, aimed at the interlinked targets of eliminating communicable and infectious diseases and achieving real progress towards universal health coverage.

Supporting national responses to COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of ensuring equitable access to health services, as well as increasing availability of medicines, vaccines and diagnostic tools in response to established and emerging health threats.

Regional, global and
South-South cooperation

Focusing on common challenges across different health systems, ADP leverages the experiences and expertise of its network of stakeholders to deliver both policy lessons and technical solutions.

Focus countries

ADP collaborates with stakeholders in a number of focus countries – Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malawi, Senegal, United Republic of Tanzania and Thailand
– to implement a range of capacity-strengthening interventions, which are in line with the ADP strategic approach of leveraging the expertise of its four core partners and working across sectors to help strengthen and harmonize policies, regulations and systems, as well as build the capacities of key people and institutions.

Uniting Efforts

The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how close collaboration among multiple stakeholders can overcome major hurdles to the development, approval and delivery of new medicines, vaccines and diagnostic tools. But opportunities for such intense collaboration are rare, and access to new health technologies remains uneven.

Knowledge products

ADP knowledge products advance learning and contribute to improved policies, programmes and practices, as well as demonstrate human impact on the ground.

TDR Implementation research toolkit

This toolkit is designed to help teams conduct implementation research projects through a standard process to ensure reliable, high-quality results.

COVID-19 diagnostics procurement resource

An interactive tool to support procurement decisions by aggregating and streamlining publicly available information about the technical specifications, regulatory status and supply of COVID-19 diagnostic tests.

A pipeline analysis of new products for malaria, tuberculosis and neglected tropical diseases

This working paper provides a comprehensive survey of new medicines, diagnostics and vaccines for malaria, TB and selected NTDs, that are currently in the pipeline for market entry by 2020.

Digital Health for Development Hub

A one-stop shop with technical, advisory and partnership support for scaling up digital health solutions.

Blog

TDR and partners support TB programmes in West and Central Africa to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on TB control

Posted September 29, 2020 By Dr. Corinne Merle, Scientist, TDR

As the world comes together to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical that essential services and operations continue to protect the lives of people with Tuberculosis (TB). Given the potential diversion of resources, shortages of staff, disruption of services, among other factors, new or adapted strategies are required to mitigate the potential impact of COVID-19 on TB control efforts and ensure continuity of TB services and activities.

The Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), in partnership with the Access and Delivery Partnership Project (ADP), Damien Foundation and The Union, is proudly supporting national TB programmes (NTPs) throughout West and Central Africa to conduct implementation research (IR) on strategies to mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on TB control efforts.

In early May 2020, a call for letters of interest was distributed throughout the West and Central African Regional Network for TB control (WARN-TB/CARN-TB), resulting in 20 submissions from NTPs and their research partners in the region. After a competitive evaluation, 11 submissions were selected.

Selected proposals will implement a variety of new and innovative approaches to ensure continuity of TB services during the time of COVID-19 (see Fig.1). Digital technologies will be applied to help overcome issues of access in light of quarantine-related restrictions on movements, such as conducting virtual teleconsultations with patients, using social media to conduct routine supervisory visits among TB facilities and using digital adherence technologies to promote treatment adherence. Studies will also explore ways to further decentralize TB services into the community, thereby reducing requirements for travel, as well as trialing new screening algorithms to enhance detection of TB among those with respiratory systems and suspected of COVID-19.

“We’ve seen from past experiences with Ebola the significant impact that an infectious disease outbreak can have on routine health care services, including TB. To mitigate the overall impact of COVID-19, we must ensure that routine health services continue to operate and that those that need them have continued access.”
“The eleven studies selected for funding represent the kind of innovative thinking required to find solutions and overcome barriers and challenges posed by COVID-19. This research will help to maintain crucial TB services in West and Central Africa and will also contribute to future preparedness efforts. I’m really encouraged by the caliber of the proposals we received and am proud to be supporting this work along with our partners.”
Dr John Reeder, Director, TDR

Ongoing technical support and mentorship will be provided to grantees during the research period by TDR, ADP, the Union and Damien Foundation. Alongside this support, TDR and partners will be working with WARN-TB/CARN-TB to help evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on NTP performance in the region. The findings of this evaluation, combined with the lessons that emerge from the IR projects, will be used to inform the development of national and regional contingencies plans that can be enacted by NTPs in similar, future scenarios.

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