CMMB Gifts-In-Kind Guidelines

For over 75 years, CMMB has provided essential pharmaceutical products to qualified health providers in the developing world. Over this time we have developed strong internal policies, controls, and procedures to ensure safe and appropriate allocation of medicines. CMMB’s distribution center, located in Long Island City, New York, is a 33,000-square-foot facility that features a computerized inventory system and climate-controlled refrigeration capabilities for medicines that require cold storage. Many millions of dollars worth of pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies donated by CMMB’s generous corporate partners are delivered to the distribution center on a continuing basis, where these materials are placed in inventory for redistribution.

All medicine that we receive is inventoried by lot number, expiration date, and tracked to its destination. CMMB requires all consignees to report to us and provide the following information: 

• Did you receive all of the items on the packing list?
• Did you encounter any customs problems with the products shipped?
• Did you have any unusual delays receiving the shipment?
• When was the donation used?
• Indicate the program in which this donation was used and how this supports your organization’s mission and purpose.
• Indicate how and where the donation was used.
• Who distributed the donation to the end users?
• What benefits have been derived from the distribution of the medicines and medical supplies contained in this shipment?
• Estimate the number of people who have benefited from this shipment.

CMMB abides by the World Health Organization's Guidelines for Drug Donations. We receive most pharmaceutical products through donations from pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of medical equipment and medical supplies. Under no circumstances do we accept or provide any product whose expiration date has passed.

As with all material assistance we provide, pharmaceutical products are furnished on the basis of requests. Each product is pre-approved by the recipient organization's resident health professional and deemed suitable for the circumstances. The provision of medicines by U.S. non-governmental organizations to developing countries is a sensitive public policy matter both in the United States and throughout the world. Notwithstanding the scarcity of essential medicines in much of the world, deep concerns exist regarding the introduction of medicines that are not suitable for the particular health circumstances -- for example, a drug that may unwittingly lead to new drug-resistant strains of disease. CMMB has been in the forefront of efforts to ensure quality, and is a member of the Partnership for Quality Medical Donations (PQMD), a consortium of leading U.S. pharmaceutical companies and non-governmental organizations working in international healthcare.

If you would like to partner with us to provide medicines and supplies to people in need, please contact us at medicaldonations@cmmb.org or call 1-800-678-5659.

To submit a request for donations of medical supplies, download and complete this application.