Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

The Clear Seven STI treatment kit is a cost-effective all-in-one treatment for urethritis, first piloted by CMS in four districts of Uganda in 1999. A new innovative social marketing scheme to promote the use of the kit has proven to be successful in treating STIs and preventing HIV infection. The kit, which contains a 14-day course of tablets, condoms, partner referral cards, and an information leaflet, is designed to improve STI treatment rates, prevent over-the-counter sales of inappropriate treatments, encourage partner referral, and reinforce condom use. The distribution system relies on the use of small retail outlets which are normally licensed to sell over-the-counter drugs but not antibiotics. The Ugandan Government has waived these restrictions to promote sales of Clear Seven, marketed at the subsidized price of US$ 1.35, and trained shopkeepers in the management of STIs. To ensure quality, CMS’s detailing team trained more than 1,500 health workers in the proper dispensing of Clear Seven and the syndromic management of urethritis. Based on Clear Seven evaluation data, the Ugandan National Drug Authority approved limited expansion in mid-2003. Going forward, Clear Seven will be distributed through clinics and pharmacies in eight Ugandan districts, focusing on outlets located near groups at high risk of STIs, such as army barracks and tertiary educational establishments.