In order to improve access to medicines and tackle existing obstacles in the medicine supply chain, the multi-stakeholder alliance must fully understand the country’s existing pharmaceutical sector. This requires a core set of data on the price, quality, availability and promotion of medicines and existing policies and practices. In many countries this information is out of date, fragmented and unreliable – or simply does not exist.

The tools in this section are used to establish how much of this information already exists, how reliable this data is and where the major information gaps lie. They provide a baseline of core information which can be used to inform policy decisions and track progress.

Core Tools:

• Pharmaceutical Sector Scan
• Data Disclosure Survey
• Medicines Promotion: Assessing the Nature, Extent and Impact of Regulation
• Understanding and Responding to Pharmaceutical Promotion: A practical Guide

Additional Tools:

• Assessing Government Procurement and Transparency 
• How to Investigate Drug Use in Health Facilities
• How to Investigate the Use of Medicines by Consumers
• Pharmaceutical Country Profile
• Procurement and Supply Management (PSM) Toolbox    
• Supply Chain Mapping