Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) Secretariat

Health Partners International (HPI) is the lead agency for the consortium which is managing the International Secretariat of the Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA). It is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) in the UK, and aims to improve access to essential medicines for poor people.

The other partners are Health Research for Action (HERA) and Healthlink Worldwide.

HPI is leading on the overall management of MeTA, including financial systems.
HERA is providing technical direction and country support.
Healthlink is leading on communication, knowledge sharing and capacity strengthening, particularly of civil society groups and government institutions.

Core aims and principles

MeTA is a new global initiative to increase access to essential medicines by improving transparency and accountability in the selection, procurement, sale, distribution and use of essential medicines in developing countries. It uses a multi-stakeholder approach, involving government, pharmaceutical industry, civil society and international development partners.
It is particularly focused on putting information on the price, availability and quality of medicines into the public domain and using that information to identify blockages and agree solutions.
It operates with a set of core principles around the right to health and the need to improve transparency and accountability as a means of increasing access to essential medicines.
Medicines Transparency Alliance intends to work initially in seven pilot countries: Jordan, Kyrgzstan, Ghana, the Philippines, Peru, Uganda, and Zambia. Other countries may be added as the programme develops.

The new International MeTA (Medicines Transparency Alliance) Secretariat started on 17 March 2008.