Deadline: 4 March 2019
Unitaid has announced a Call for Proposals for the following interventions aimed at accelerating the availability, adoption and scale-up of improved tools to diagnose and treat P. vivax malaria, including:
- Establishing a supply of quality-assured paediatric primaquine, and supporting the early introduction of paediatric tafenoquine
- Activities may include support for the market entry of paediatric tafenoquine, including additional studies as needed, and inclusion in country pilots when available. Separate, targeted work may support the availability of quality-assured primaquine in strengths and dosage forms appropriate for children. This could include incentivizing and supporting suppliers to bring quality-assured products to market, as well as providing suppliers with confidence in a viable market (e.g. through coordinated forecasting, consolidation of demand, etc.).
- Pilot implementation of vivax radical cure tools in a selection of countries
- Pilot implementation should generate models for the introduction of new tools and approaches that optimize radical cure in terms of operational feasibility, safety and cost-effectiveness. The key question to be answered is where to deploy G6PD tests/tafenoquine as part of a broader radical cure strategy, recognizing that greater reach will be achieved at lower levels of care. Target countries should cover a range of geographical settings and levels of malaria endemicity.
- Pilots should aim to enable the adoption of radical cure tools in target countries and provide a roadmap for the optimal deployment of G6PD testing, primaquine and tafenoquine, more broadly. This includes the generation of evidence to support operational guidance, with particular attention to ensuring the coordinated supply and distribution of quality-assured products needed for P. vivax case management. With the increased adoption of new tools as part of pilot implementation, opportunities for volume-based price reductions should also be explored.
- Pilots should include the incorporation of new tools, such as more sensitive P. vivax RDTs, and paediatric tafenoquine, as these become available.
Demonstrated articulation with national programmes and other national and regional partners will be key to ensure that ownership extends beyond the life of the project. Emphasis should be placed on translating the outputs of the pilots into activities and tools that will support transition and broader scale up in project countries and beyond. This should not be limited to the final stages of the project but could aim to ensure strong national commitment to product adoption from the onset. As part of the broader sustainability objective, opportunities for co-funding of pilot implementation activities should be actively explored.
Applicants can submit proposals for one or both of the intervention areas outlined above. While the call aims to cover multiple geographic regions, proposals focused in countries within a single region will be considered.
Topics which are out of scope for this Call include: basic and early-stage research, single-country interventions and small-scale research studies.
Proposals submitted should clearly demonstrate the fit with the objectives set out above, the expected impact and value for money, as well as the complementarity and added value to similar projects and how coordination will be ensured.
Criteria
The applicant(s) may be:
- A public or private entity / institution / organization; or
- A consortium: a group of public and/or private entities / institutions / organizations with one entity / institution or organization acting as the Lead Organization (“LO”),
- The LO shall assume responsibility, for the project presented in the proposal and shall be the sole signatory of any subsequent legal agreement with UNITAID setting out the terms and conditions of a grant. The LO will be exclusively responsible for undertaking all negotiations and discussions with UNITAID and shall ultimately remain responsible for all results and deliverables under the legal agreement, including those to be accomplished by other consortium members.
How to Apply
Proposals should be submitted electronically at the address given on the website.
For more information, please visit https://unitaid.org/call-for-proposal/better-tools-for-the-diagnosis-and-treatment-of-plasmodium-vivax-malaria/#en