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ICIUM 2011 focuses on the impacts of interventions, programs, and policies on use of medicines in low and middle-income countries. In each topic area, work at the international, regional, national, institutional, provider, and patient level is of interest. In addition to the topic areas listed below, ICIUM 2011 seeks abstracts on two key topics which will be addressed throughout the conference: gender issues and the role of information technology in medicines access and use.

The highest rated abstracts will (1) describe the effects of an intervention, program implementation, or policy change on use of medicines; or (2) examine methods for studying patterns or determinants of medicines use. In general, descriptive studies will only be considered if they present new insights or methodologies. Research from high income countries may be submitted if methods or findings are particularly relevant. Since the intent of ICIUM 2011 is to help shape evidence based policy recommendations and a future research agenda, both newly completed and recently published work are welcome. Topics of particular interest include the ones listed below. For abstract submission, please click here.

Access to Medicines: The ICIUM 2011 Access to Medicines track will cover long-standing as well as emerging problems in this area. We welcome abstracts addressing issues related to intellectual property, innovation and production; price negotiation and supply; country initiatives to promote access to medicines; access to new and high-cost medicines; and civil society issues related to access to medicines. (For more detail, please click here.)

Medicines Policy, Regulation, and Governance: The ICIUM 2011 Medicines Policy, Regulation, and Governance track welcomes abstracts addressing the following topics: processes for changing medicines policies; medicines selection and guidelines in national systems; good governance, transparency and issues around conflicts of interest at the health care and financing institutions level; how to improve the use of medicines by health care providers; and the role of consumers, patients and community systems in policy making and policy and program implementation. (For more detail, please click here.)

Economics, Financing, Insurance systems: The ICIUM 2011 Economics and Financing Track will focus on issues related to medicines cost and affordability, and the role of economics and financial incentives in determining access to and appropriate use of medicines. We especially invite submission of abstracts on: pharmacoeconomics, drug selection, and formulary development; innovations in medicines financing; insurance system medicines policy options; impacts of high cost medicines; impacts of medicines cost containment; incentive systems including pay-for-performance and value-based medicines benefit design; medicines affordability at system and individual levels; impacts of communicating price information to consumers and health professionals; cost-effectiveness of innovative information and digital hospital technology interventions; and economic appraisals to gain access to donor-funded medicines. (For more detail, please click here.)

Child Health: The ICIUM 2011 Child Health track invites submissions of abstracts on medicines aspects of child health, focused on the integrated management of childhood illnesses approach for improving health systems overall, case management skills of health care staff, and family and community health practices. Topics of interest related to childhood illnesses include, access to medicines; national treatment guidelines and essential drugs lists; health care professional education; traditional and complementary medicines; recognition of illness and care seeking; determinants of drug use by consumers and patients; appropriate prescribing and use of medicines; and misuse and abuse of medicines. (For more detail, please click here.)

Chronic Care: The ICIUM 2011 Chronic Care Track concentrates on aspects related to medicines for chronic conditions: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, psychiatric disorders and cancer, among others. We encourage submission of abstracts on: policies to increase access to medicines; results of pharmacoepidemiology studies; development and implementation of clinical guidelines; innovative tools and techniques to improve quality of drug use and adherence to guidelines; the “poly-pill”; and studies addressing users’ perspectives regarding long-term drug utilization such as adherence, safety, and affordability. Health information technology to facilitate and monitor prescribing, dispensing and safety of medicines use in patients with chronic diseases are also relevant, as are health systems technologies which promote equitable access. (For more detail, please click here.)

HIV/AIDS & TB: The ICIUM 2011 HIV/AIDS & TB track welcomes abstracts on global drug programs (access, donation, and other), adherence, retention, supply chain management, pharmacovigilance and adverse event monitoring, as they relate to access to and use of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis therapies in resource-limited settings. TB-related topics of interest include: supply chain management issues concerning the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) and the Global Drug Facility (GDF); interventions to improve adherence including direct observation of treatment; drug management issues for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis; issues in quality assurance; and control of over-the-counter sale and use of drugs. (Fore more detail, please click here.)

Malaria: The ICIUM 2011 Malaria track welcomes abstracts on all aspects of research that deal with chemotherapy and chemoprevention of malaria. While chemotherapy is concerned with treatment of malaria cases, chemoprevention is concerned with the use of drugs to prevent malaria, either as chemoprophylaxis or intermittent preventive treatment. Abstracts could represent different disciplinary areas such as epidemiology, molecular biology, health systems research, economics, policy analysis, sociology and anthropology. (For more detail, please click here.)

Drug Resistance: The ICIUM 2011 Drug Resistance track welcomes abstracts addressing all aspects of drug resistance with a focus on antibacterial resistance. We invite submission of abstracts on preventing the development of antibacterial resistance (minimizing health care associated infections, improving hygiene), on environmental aspects and surveillance of antibacterial resistance, and on antibiotic prescribing and consumption. Abstracts on developing antimicrobial stewardship programs to improve prescribing, dosing, dispensing, and community use are especially welcome. Further, abstract related to consequences of resistance including economic analyses and in relation to innovations such as new antibacterial agents and diagnostic tools are welcome. (For more detail, please click here.)