Foundation to host roundtable on generic and biosimilar producers’ potential to improve access to medicine in Africa

Despite Africa bearing a quarter of the world’s global burden of disease, access to essential, lifesaving medicines is still unreliable or altogether absent in many regions on the continent. Amid the shifting geopolitical landscape and cuts to foreign aid funding, creating sustainable healthcare supply chains in Africa is more urgent than ever. 

Generic and biosimilar medicine (G&BMs) manufacturers, which supply nearly 80% of global pharmaceuticals, have an opportunity to increase their presence in African markets and help broaden access to essential medicines to those most in need. 

To accelerate action and drive progress, the Access to Medicine Foundation is hosting an invitation-only event on 11 March, Leading the Way: Building Africa’s Medicine Supply Future, convening 30-40 strategic leaders in the pharmaceutical industry, including multinational and regional African-based G&BM manufacturers. The event will follow the format of an ‘Amsterdam Session’ – the Foundation’s roundtable discussions held under the Chatham House Rule – allowing attendees to engage in an open discussion.  

The session will be structured into two market segments: high-volume/low-cost generics and low-volume/complex generics. Within this framing, the attendees will discuss: 

• Effective company approaches and viable business models for strengthening sustainable access in low- and middle-income countries.

• How to replicate and scale strategies across contexts and products.

• How distribution partnerships can help overcome barriers.

Key insights and clear, actionable next steps to advance access across the continent will be captured in a published meeting report.