Student Internship: Pharmaceutical Access Literature Review
Description Statement:
We are seeking one or two student interns to support the development of a manuscript that describes previous and existing medicine access programs, and efforts to evaluate these programs. This is a paid position.
In September 2015, the pharmaceutical company Novartis/Sandoz launched Novartis Access, an initiative aiming to improve access to 15 medicines for the treatment of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in 30 countries over the next 5 years. The main activity of Novartis Access is the direct sale of subsidized NCD medicines to purchasers in program countries. Novartis Access will first be rolled out in Kenya in 2016. A team of Boston University faculty, led by Richard Laing, will evaluate the impact of Novartis Access on the availability and price of NCD medicines at health facilities and households in Kenya, using a cluster-randomized trial design.
Novartis Access builds on several medicine access programs that have come before it. For example, these include the Merck (MSD) program to eradicate river blindness using ivermectin and starting in 2010 the Affordable Medicines for Malaria (AMFm) project, which sought to supply artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) at highly subsidized prices in the public, private not-for-profit, and private for-profit sectors of several countries. The student intern/s will help the Novartis Access evaluation team place their work within the broader context of medicine access programs.
Scope of Work:
We are looking for one or two students to work on this project. Tasks will include:
- Conducting a review of the published literature and other sources to identify previous and existing medicine access programs;
- Conducting a review of published evaluations of medicine access programs;
- Developing a database of the methods and indicators previously used to evaluate or report medicine access programs. The database would also include peer reviewed and other papers or reports that describe such access initiatives.
Minimum skills desired:
Experience conducting literature reviews; interest in pharmaceuticals and medicine access; Strong writing skills.
Time / Date Expectations:
Minimum of 10 hours per week for a total of 6 weeks. Start date: as soon as possible.
To apply:
Applicants should send a current CV, letter of interest stating relevant experience, available hours and a writing sample, to Isabel Hirsch at ihirsch@bu.edu
