Since SCMS began, we’ve delivered more than $63 million of commodities to clients, with delivered value increasing from zero to almost $26 million in the quarter ending in September 2007. As the chart at the left shows, the value of delivered commodities is increasing rapidly, a trend which we expect to continue next year...We have negotiated prices that are lower than any other international purchaser in almost every case.

Ninety percent of the antiretrovirals (ARVs) we now purchase are generic products...Some regimens now cost less than $90 per year. As of September 2007, we had procured more than 750,000 patient years of ARV treatment...With such rapid growth we’ve also had some growing pains, particularly in the area of lab equipment and supply, which has developed into a much larger focus for SCMS than originally envisioned. In the fourth quarter we delivered $3.2 million in laboratory commodities alone. Now and in the coming year, we are focusing attention on efficiency and timeliness for all our systems, but particularly for lab products...