About the Learning Exchange – This activity is currently active

A conflict of interest is “conflict between the public duty and private interests of public officials, in which public officials have private-capacity interests which could improperly influence the performance of their official duties and responsibilities”. Public pharmaceutical decision making is particularly susceptible to conflicts of interest because pharmaceutical systems are complex and often involve discretionary decision making which may not have adequate checks and balances. Public pharmaceutical committees and agencies help decide, among other things, which medicines governments approve for marketing and include in national essential medicines and reimbursement lists; hence influencing which medicines clinicians prescribe and the prices that the public pay for them. Institutions that convene or individuals who serve on committees may have relationships with private sector and other actors, creating a risk that public pharmaceutical decision making is not independent, impartial, and professional.

With facilitation by USAID MTaPS, the learning exchange will bring together a group of frontline practitioners, international experts and country representatives to both exchange and improve their national strategies for conflicts of interest management through cross-country virtual engagements.

Participating Countries

China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Sudan, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Cameroon, Uganda