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African scientists have proven capacity to develop vaccines for local strains of diseases. This tackles long-standing immunological hurdles that have kept vaccines out of reach.
Treezer Michelle Atieno - Editor
Africa is witnessing a surge in local vaccine research and development. The latest milestone is South Africa’s launch of the continent’s first-in-human clinical trial for a locally developed HIV vaccine. The BRILLIANT 011 study officially enrolled its first participants in February 2026 at the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation in Cape Town.
The new vaccine induces broadly neutralising antibodies capable of targeting multiple HIV strains in Africa, an approach seen as critical in the search for an effective HIV vaccine.
This milestone came just days before Kenya launched a World Health Organization-backed technology transfer programme to build local capacity in vaccine research and manufacturing.
Our take: African-led vaccines can be adapted to regional disease strains and epidemiology, making them potentially more effective than imported products…Read more (2 min)
Local pharmaceutical manufacturing is accelerating across Africa, but medicine safety oversight remains underexamined. In this op-ed, Kennedy Odokonyero, a pharmacovigilance specialist, argues that compliance with post-market drug safety monitoring requirements among local manufacturers is still inadequate in many countries.
“Local manufacturing cannot be considered a success if medicine safety systems are treated as optional rather than integral to market access and regulatory compliance.”
He argues that as countries scale local production, industry leaders must integrate stronger medicine safety systems into manufacturing strategies to protect patients and create long-term regulatory credibility.
Read the full opinion…Read more (2 min)
South African based pharma subsidiary Johnson & Johnson records fastest growth, yet again, in terms of African staff among its peers in the past year. The company has grown senior staff by 44%, or 685 new hires according to LinkedIn data. It also leads with 28% expansion in sales and business development staff, a signal of a deliberate market capture.
Pfizer follows Johnson & Johnson with 20%, then Bayer at 17%, Roche 16%, AstraZeneca 16%, GSK 14%, Novartis 12%, Sanofi 7%, Novo Nordisk 6% and Aspen Pharmacare 2%.
Compared to three months ago, Johnson & Johnson staff growth rate rose from 40% to 44%, Pfizer from 18% to 20%, and Sanofi increased from 3% to 7%. Bayer declined from 21% to 17% and Roche from 19% to 16%.
Our take: Most companies are growing staff but not sales and BD, risking lost market share in Africa to peers focused on revenue and partnerships…Read more (2 min)
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Affordable AI-powered microscope speeds up malaria diagnosis in rural Africa
Events
🗓️ Plan to be at the Primary Health Care Congress Kenya (March 4)
🗓️ Register for the Africa Health Business in Kenya (April 21)
🗓️ Participate in World Health Summit in Kenya (April 27)
Jobs
🧑⚕️Be a Medical Director at Ison Health (Ethiopia)
🧑⚕️Apply to be the Technical Lead (HIV) at FHI360 (Zambia)
🧑⚕️Join Jhpiego as a Care and Treatment Lead (Mozambique)
Various
💉 Nigeria confronts a swelling dengue and malaria threats
💉 Ghana approves Oxford’s malaria vaccine
💉 Africa CDC seeks $1bn health financing model through debt Swaps
Seen on LinkedIn
Joash Rakuru, a nurse, says, “East Africa isn’t one pharmaceutical market, it’s four distinct sales environments that demand four different strategies. If you’re doing sales across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda without understanding the numbers, procurement dynamics, and therapeutic shifts, you’re not selling strategically, you’re guessing.”