JSI Staff Publish New Journal Article on the Relationship Between Procurement, Inventory, and Consumption of Contraceptive Implants

A new article in Global Health: Science and Practice looks at the supply and use of contraceptive implants around the world. Are Procured Quantities of Implants Adequate and Appropriate? Modelling the Relationship between Procurement, Inventory, and Consumption of Contraceptive Implants During Rapid Uptake, shows that the significant investments in procurement quantities for the rapidly growing implant programs were justified based on consumption and system design.

Increasing access to long-acting reversible contraceptives, specifically hormonal contraceptive implants has been an important part of FP2020’s goal of reaching an additional 120 million women with contraception by the year 2020. As a result of price reductions and efforts to increase accessibility, procurements and consumption of contraceptive implants in the FP2020 markets have risen substantially since 2013. Yet, the rapid uptake of implants combined with limited data visibility into consumption in many countries generated questions from donors, procurers, and other partners about the relationship between product volumes procured and product volumes consumed.

In response to these concerns, JSI staff Laila Akhlaghi, Alexis Heaton, and Yasmin Chandani, undertook an analysis modelling the procurement, inventory, and consumption of implants during this rapid uptake. Study results show that the significant investments in procurement quantities for the rapidly growing implant programs were justified based on consumption and system design. This research should assure observers that rapid increases in implant procurement quantities (where data are available) have generally not resulted in overstocks of the system to date. It suggests that the relationship between procurement quantities and consumption levels cannot be accurately assessed without understanding the country supply chain, inventory control parameters, and current and future demand.

Are Procured Quantities of Implants Adequate and Appropriate? Modelling the Relationship between Procurement, Inventory, and Consumption of Contraceptive Implants During Rapid Uptake, Global Health: Science and Practice, July 2019.