Selected Client: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in partnership with Catalyst Global

Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and working with Catalyst Global, and a team of Anglophone and Francophone African consultants, Propelevate completed an opportunity assessment to understand the potential of the private pharmacy sector to expand the reach and use of the HIV prevention medication, PrEP, in Africa. In each of the 18 prioritized countries, the team conducted desk research and key informant interviews with industry experts and representatives to understand the sector and players, to calculate potential reach of target groups through private pharmacies, and to identify key trends and insights to inform recommendations about the potential challenges and opportunities of private pharmacies for PrEP distribution to BMGF.

The final report included: total achievable market calculations for each country; a comparison of the number of public sites to the available private pharmacy sites at the smallest geographical area for which data was available (i.e., county or region); the typology, number, location, typical goods and services offered, business models and catchment areas of pharmacies; basic customer demographics and purchasing behavior to estimate reach to key populations; an overview of relevant trends in the sector; and initial identification of challenges and opportunities for pharmacy PrEP distribution.