From the newsletter
Local drug manufacturing in Africa is a necessity. Supply can only be assured if at least part of it is on-shore. But how to get there from the current situation of dominance by foreign manufacturers? African drug makers are asking for purchase guarantees before investing in new medicines, even where demand is clear. That’s an unexpected hurdle.
Aspen Pharmacare of South Africa has withdrawn from plans to make lenacapavir, the twice-yearly HIV prevention injection, due to a lack of purchase assurance. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is now consolidating regional demand to support the commercial case for producing the medicine locally.
SADC’s approach could give manufacturers the confidence to invest, but the proposed purchasing arrangements still depend on governments agreeing to finance and commit to those orders. Egypt’s Eva Pharma, meanwhile, secured a licence to manufacture lenacapavir in 2024, becoming the only African company to do so.
More details