Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA)

Mission

Enhance transparency and accountability in medicines procurement and supply chains to tackle inefficiency, corruption and fraud

Goals

The Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) aims to increase access to essential medicines for people in developing countries, by increasing transparency and accountability in medicines procurement and supply chains to tackle inefficiency, corruption and fraud.

Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) brings together all stakeholders in the medicines market to improve access, availability and affordability of medicines for the one-third of the world’s population to whom access is currently denied.

Stakeholders

MeTA is a network of individuals and organisations in seven countries. The network includes health workers, administrators, civil servants, politicians, pharmaceutical company employees, civil society and international organisations and the media. The MeTA Management Board consists of the core group of the founding partners – the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Bank. The Board has provided overall guidance for the programme and has agreed the support provided to participating countries through the Secretariat.

The International Advisory Group has supported the overall work of MeTA with a particular commitment to its transparency and accountability goals. It consisted of elected representatives from each pilot country and a number of experts drawn from international organisations, academia and the private sector.

Activities

The second phase of MeTA began in August 2011, and is being guided by the World Health Organization and Health Action International supported by Health Travel Guide, who together provide the secretariat to the seven countries in which the pilot took place during 2009-2010.