Who we are
Our mission
QUALITY MEDICINE FOR ALL
QUAMED is a not-for-profit association with a mission to improve access to quality medicines for all.
QUAMED was formed in 2010 under the auspices of the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp with funding from the Belgian Government. Since 2017 QUAMED is an independent, not-for-profit association, initially based in France, and now based in Belgium.
QUAMED is a global membership organization that brings together international Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), pharmaceutical procurement centers, and engaged individuals focused on assuring the quality of medicines delivered in low- and middle-income countries
QUAMED has developed the Quality Certification Program (QCP). Through the QCP we are offering wholesalers and manufacturers an opportunity to apply for a QUAMED QCP Certification.
Our QCP uses the technical criteria and standards as a set and defined by the WHO to assess the pharmaceutical quality systems of wholesalers and manufacturers.
Our QCP certification will reward a wholesaler’s commitment to meet WHO standards and contribute to positively shaping the market to favour quality medicines. Importantly, we anticipate that wholesalers and manufacturers benefiting from a formal QUAMED QCP certification will be more likely to gain access to be selected by quality-minded purchasers.
Our goals and strategy
QUAMED is a North/South network, engaged to facilitate sharing of reliable information. We seek to foster learning and drive synergies by pooling skills and resources, both human and financial.
QUAMED leads the technical operationalization of tools that enable procurement agencies, development partners, and donors to respond to immediate needs for Quality Assurance of medicines while anchoring good practice.
By bridging international Quality Assurance norms and standards with the work of NGOs in the field, QUAMED helps to ensure that those norms and standards translate concretely to the delivery of quality medicines to patients – including in settings where implementing partners may struggle to do so.
QUAMED works in complement to and in partnership with ongoing efforts to strengthen regulatory systems, notably the Global Benchmarking Tool, in the context of work plans directed by local regulatory authorities
QUAMED works as much as possible with donor agencies to convince them to put in place a clear and binding pharmaceutical quality assurance policy for the health products they are funding.
Our charter
Any member of the association adheres to the QUAMED Charter and considers access to quality essential drugs as a human right, universal and inalienable. QUAMED and its members commit themselves therefore to make every effort to improve procurement practices in the pharmaceutical industry and to participate in a wider awareness of the problem. QUAMED is not involved in any manufacturing activity, distribution or sales of drugs.
Our team
Quamed members (individuals and organisations) have extensive experience in the pharmaceutical, drug regulation and drug supply sectors in non-governmental organizations, international organizations and other institutions. They have worked, and continue to practice, in a wide variety of geographical and socio-economic contexts (Western Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe) in collaboration with organizations such as WHO, the Global Fund, UNICEF, UNITAID and a large number of international NGOs and purchasing organisations.
In addition to the members, QUAMED has a network of external specialists that can be mobilized for consultations, technical support, physical or remote training sessions and other quality assurance related activities.
Operational team
The QUAMED operational team is multifunctional and combines experience and knowledge from different fields: regulatory issues, pharmacy, economics, management, accounting, purchasing and supply chain management, quality assurance, administration, and communication.
Anthony has the overall responsibility of QUAMED’s quality assurance policy. He has a doctorate in Pharmaceutical Sciences and a master degree in Total Quality Management and Biotechnologies, both from the University of Angers (France). He has extensive experience working in GMP environment and is particularly experienced in conducting MQAS and GSDP audits. He also provides technical assistance in various public health projects. He has worked for a variety of organisations (NGOs, UN, private sector) in a large number of countries.
Urukundo Angelo is an experienced Program Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the Digital Marketing industry. Skilled in creative and leadership management. A Bachelor’s degree focused in Mass Communication/Media Studies from Mount Kenya University located in Rwanda. Angelo is comfortable and interested in learning about everything Tech and marketing related, his passion for technology inspires him to always look for the next best thing.
Chantal is a public health medical doctor with 15 years of experience designing, implementing and coordinating health system strengthening programs in the international development context. Chantal is passionate about health workforce development and management and her work in the past six years focused on scaling up training innovations and support programs targeting different cadres of health professionals in the East and Southern Africa region. Within QUAMED, Chantal is the responsible manager for the USAID-funded online learning platform.
Ed Vreeke is a Canadian national. He has experience related to essential generic medicines and medical supplies is in the following fields: procurement and supply systems organisation, management, monitoring and evaluation, general management and organisation of Central Medical Stores, strategic and policy issues, business plan development, transitioning from government to independent organisation, development, organisation and management of tender processes, conception of revolving medicine funds, performance based financing systems, costing analysis.
Laurine is a pharmacist with a degree in public health and a master’s degree in economic analysis and international development. She has worked in France and internationally, in the humanitarian and development sector, with a multitude of national and international organisations (UNDP, Expertise France, AFD, GIZ, MSF, various Ministries of Health and central purchasing agencies).
Ms. Linda Gracious Mudyiwenyama is a RAC-certified regulatory affairs professional. Trained as a Pharmacist in Zimbabwe, she has an MSc in Pharmacy Administration and Policy Regulation from the University of Western Cape, South Africa. She has worked for the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe for 10 years and has been involved in several initiatives locally, regionally, and internationally. She is currently the Rapporteur of the African Blood Regulator’s Forum, which aims to facilitate access to quality, safe and affordable blood products for all people of Africa through continental enhancement of the work of the Regional Economic Communities. Linda is also a member of the WHO Advisory Group on Blood Regulation Availability and Safety. Her passion is promoting the use of regulatory science in National Medicines Regulatory Authorities to support regulatory decision-making and policy development with the ultimate goal of ensuring access to safe, efficacious, and good-quality medicines to the population of Africa.
Mary is a Zambian national living in South Africa. She is an accountant by training and has a postgraduate diploma in Development management and a master in public policy. She has significant management and accounting experience in the private sector as well as in the humanitarian and development sector (SOS Kinderdorf International, CARE and the ILO).
Ulysse is a global health and health regulatory expert. He is trained as a Medical Doctor. He has a PhD in Immunology from Leiden University in the Netherlands. He also has experience in the private sector with Novartis/Sandoz. Within the QUAMED team, he will be fully focused on regulatory issues and first and foremost working on reinforcing the regulatory authorities in Senegal in collaboration with ENABEL.
Technical Committee
The Executive is advised and guided on technical matters by the Technical Committee. The Technical Committee is a committee of the Board of Directors and an advisory body, composed of experienced professionals from the regulatory and industrial environment, NGOs and the United Nations.
Alexandr Kosyak is a registered licensed pharmacist with extensive federal pharmacy experience (USAID/OFDA, US PHS Indian Health Service, Health Resources and Services Administration, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Homeland Security). His experience extends to all facets of pharmacy practice (Chain Pharmacies, Independent Pharmacies, Extended Care Facilities, Clinical Research, Hospital Pharmacy, Medication Consulting, Laboratory Operations, and Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Management). In addition, he has extensive experience in Pharmaceutical Vendor Quality Assurance and Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Quality Assurance in low and middle-income countries, which makes him so valuable as a member of QUAMED’s Technical Committee.
Barbara is a pharmacist with 15-year experience in Health Procurement and Supply Management in developing countries with a focus on access, legal and regulatory framework, and quality assurance of medicines in the not-for-profit sector. Barbara is now using her knowledge of the field and acquiring new skills to support the rollout of medicine to treat a neglected tropical disease in Africa.
Cécile Macé is a public health pharmacist having more than 30 years’ experience in strengthening pharmaceutical systems in low- and middle-income countries. She has extensive experience in medicine management and procurement in both the public and not-for-profit sectors. She also worked on access to medicines for HIV/AIDS, TB and asthma in international NGOs such as Médecins Sans Frontières and The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. She was also the international pharmaceutical coordinator, responsible for all pharmaceutical activities within MSF. She then worked in the WHO Essential Medicines and Health Products Department and UNDP providing support to countries in the development and implementation of national pharmaceutical policies and national programs and to further develop their procurement and regulatory systems. She now works as an independent consultant for UN agencies, International NGOs, and multilateral and bilateral agencies mainly focusing on strengthening procurement and regulatory systems, improving quality of medicines and increasing access to NCD medicines. She is the key pharmaceutical expert for the Medisafe project implemented by Expertise France to fight against substandard and falsified medicines in 11 Eastern and Central Africa countries. She is also providing support to the African Medicine Regulatory Harmonization Secretariat in their efforts to strengthen regulatory systems and increasing national regulatory capacity in the AU Member States.
After more than 10 years of clinical research and two field missions for Pharmacists Without Borders, Christophe has focused on the challenges affecting the supply and access to quality-assured medicines in resource-constrained countries, mainly with Médecins Sans Frontières. He specialises in quality assurance (QA) standards and clinical trials for the pharmaceutical industry. Over the past 15 years, he has worked on QA issues with donors, pooled procurement mechanisms, humanitarian supply agencies, central medical shops, and private wholesalers.
Corinne Pouget is a pharmacist, specializing in international regulatory affairs and quality assurance. She has been involved in Quamed activities since its inception.
Eric is a Senior Reviewer of non-clinical and clinical data supporting Marketing Authorization Applications and Clinical Trial Authorization at the Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana. He is a Pharmacist by training and holds a Master’s degree in Pharmacy (Pharmacology and Toxicology) and has over fifteen (15) years’ experience in the review of nonclinical and clinical data (CTD modules 4 and 5) covering; • Small molecules • Well characterized Biologics and Biosimilars • Vaccines Eric has vast skills and experience in the Quality control of medicines (small molecules, vaccines and well characterized Biologics) and is currently the Director at the Centre for Laboratory Services and Research at the Food and Drugs Authority Ghana, an ISO 17025:2017 certified laboratory with WHO prequalified status for the Medicines Laboratory. He is also a certified Pharmacist cGMP professional by the American Society of Quality (ASQ) since 2016.
Jérôme Barré is a pharmacist with hospital, academic and regulatory experience. He was awarded a PhD (pharmacology).He acquired a position of pharmacologist and toxicologist at hospitals and then was qualified for a post of professor of pharmacology. His main research interests were in the areas of clinical pharmacokinetics, drug monitoring, drug bioavailability and bioequivalence. He has been in charge of a bioanalytical laboratory at a university hospital before being appointed head of an hospital laboratory of pharmacology and toxicology. He has worked for a long time as an expert in drug regulatory agencies. He has been a member of the generic drug assessment working party in European Medicine Agency and also of the French Drug Marketing Authorisation Committee (Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits de Santé) for more than 15 years. In addition, he has been as expert for the evaluation of medicinal products at the European Medicine Agency. He has also been acting in World Health Organization as an adviser for training in assessment of generic drugs. In the recent years, he has carried out consultancy missions on product evaluation for the UNDP. He has more than 130 publications in scientific journals.
Olivier ANDRIOLLO is Quality Assurance Director of a wholesaler of generic medicines for developing countries. Olivier is graduated in pharmacy with a major in quality audit in pharmaceutical industry. Olivier started his career at an NGO active in the procurement of medicines for humanitarian programs in charge of the quality control laboratory during 5 years. Then, after three years spent as quality manager in a pharmaceutical laboratory, he joined a wholesaler where he is in charge of the prequalification of manufacturers and medicines, the maintenance of the quality system of the company and the marketing authorizations. During the last decade, Olivier carried out quality audits of pharmaceutical manufacturers on behalf of his company and third parties as well. He was also an auditor of quality control laboratories and quality management in pharmacy retail outlets. Olivier is Secretary of “International francophone association of college of pharmacist” (CIOPF).
Olivier Depaire, is a pharmacist with a passion for Life Sciences and has worked for over 30 years for major pharmaceutical companies in the fields of Regulatory Affairs and Quality. For the past 3 years, involved in GMDP training, quality and CMC audits, and certification for pharmaceutical and biotech specialties, in Europe and Africa.
Dr Patrick Lukulay is a globally-recognized leader in the area of pharmaceutical QA. He holds a PhD in Analytical Chemistry. He is a public health professional and a pharmaceutical scientist with many years of experience working in the pharmaceutical industry. He has worked with Pfizer Inc. as a Senior Principal Scientist where he led teams to develop methods and specifications for the development of new drug candidates, and with Wyeth Research as Senior Research Scientist where he led a team of analytical scientists to support drug discovery efforts. As a former director and vice president at United States Pharmacopeia, he led the USAID-funded Promoting the Quality of Medicines Program where he oversaw the growth of the program to build the capacity of regulatory authorities and pharmaceutical companies in developing countries including South East Asia, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa. He has recently founded Technology Solutions for Global Health (Tech4Health), in Ghana with the objective to increase the competitiveness of the African pharmaceutical industry in manufacturing quality-assured medicines. His greatest achievements include serving on the US National Academy of Medicine committee to assess the state of drug and regulation quality globally.
Sheila Kort is a Pharmacist and Clinical Chemist with significant experience in the Quality Control and Medical Laboratory field. She has successfully guided different laboratories towards accreditation from the PAHO network of Official Medicine Control Laboratories.
Thomas is a Pharmaceutical and Life Science professional with expertise in drug development, specifically Biologicals manufacturing. He is passionate about enabling access to treatments, globally. He holds a PhD in biochemical engineering and has done post-doctoral research at MIT. He has experience in the private and in the public sector.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is made up of recognized professionals with extensive international experience in quality and access to medicines.
Cecile Macé is a public health pharmacist with a degree in tropical diseases. Her main skills are procurement, quality assurance of health products, and access and rational use of medicines. She has worked in Africa for more than ten years and has worked with MSF, the International Union Against Tuberculosis, WHO, and UNDP, among others.
Daniel is the Head of Global Health at a London-based innovation foundation called Nesta. He is a founding member of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Access to Medicines Campaign, where quality assurance of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics is a key element. Prior to moving to London, he was a full-time consultant to the WHO in Ethiopia on a government project to support local pharmaceutical companies, including GMP. Prior to that, he was managing director of MSF Southern Africa, based in Johannesburg.
Daniel Vandenbergh is a public health pharmacist, with more than 30 years of experience in various technical domains related to public health, PSM (Procurement and Supply Management) and LMIS (Logistics Management Information Systems). He has an in-depth knowledge of French-speaking African countries, both in Western and Central Africa, but has worked also in several English-speaking African countries (Zimbabwe, Liberia, Malawi). He also implemented missions in Asia (Lebanon, India, Cambodia).
Edwin has an economic background and over 30 years of experience in business management in the food and pharmaceutical industries, mainly in emerging markets. Initially in the private sector and later at the crossroads where private sector organisations collaborate with NGOs and public health organisations. Over the past 14 years, he has specialised in building sustainable procurement, supply chain and distribution programmes for humanitarian healthcare programmes and partnerships between donors, NGOs, manufacturers and beneficiaries. Edwin has been working with Quamed since 2012 and joined the association as a member this year.
Melanie is a public health professional with 17 years of experience supporting programs in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. She has been the Global Health and Nutrition Director for Relief International since early 2020. Prior to that she has worked in a range of public health roles including for MERLIN and CARE International, and as a part-time consultant for the WHO.
Dr Patrick Lukulay is a globally-recognized leader in the area of pharmaceutical QA. He holds a PhD in Analytical Chemistry. He is a public health professional and a pharmaceutical scientist with many years of experience working in the pharmaceutical industry. He has worked with Pfizer Inc. as a Senior Principal Scientist where he led teams to develop methods and specifications for the development of new drug candidates, and with Wyeth Research as Senior Research Scientist where he led a team of analytical scientists to support drug discovery efforts. As a former director and vice president at United States Pharmacopeia, he led the USAID-funded Promoting the Quality of Medicines Program where he oversaw the growth of the program to build the capacity of regulatory authorities and pharmaceutical companies in developing countries including South East Asia, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa. He has recently founded Technology Solutions for Global Health (Tech4Health), in Ghana with the objective to increase the competitiveness of the African pharmaceutical industry in manufacturing quality-assured medicines. His greatest achievements include serving on the US National Academy of Medicine committee to assess the state of drug and regulation quality globally.
Internal Audit Committee
Tahina Andrianjafy brings more than 25 years of experience in the management and implementation of pharmaceutical supply chains programs and deep expertise in the Malagasy and Sub-Saharan Africa context. Holder of a master’s degree in Health Economics from CERDI in France and post-graduate training in various specialized areas of pharmaceutical supply chain management, Tahina Andrianjafy has served as Technical International Expert with Expertise France, in support of ACAME (Association of 22 countries) in Burkina Faso, and he has been the Managing Director of the “Centrale d’Achats de Médicaments Essentiels de Madagascar SALAMA“ (ISO 9001: 2015 certified) for more than 14 years, where he leads the strategic development and technical assistance activities of the organization including procurement and distribution of pharmaceuticals and health commodities, programmatic and financial management, and sales and marketing. Tahina Andrianjafy has extensive experience leading multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams with an ability to rapidly learn new technical areas and apply innovative approaches to address complex problems.
Check our Quality Certification Program or read about our emphasis on quality