As NCDs rise in Africa, generic drugmakers see a growing market

In coverage from Devex, Andrew Green writes on how generic medicine manufacturers are responding to the rising burden of non-communicable diseases in Africa.

The article covers the launch of the Access to Medicine Foundation’s latest report, exploring the role of generic medicine manufacturers in meeting Africa’s shifting disease burden – and noting the clear commercial interest in expanding care for non-communicable diseases, which can require ongoing, decades-long treatment.

Quoting the Foundation’s CEO Jayasree K. Iyer, the article notes the developments making it easier for generic medicine manufacturers to operate: “This is a rising demand and we’re going to actually need supplies in the continent itself, in some shape and form to ensure availability. I think that recognition is a signal from this that we found out in this paper.”

The article highlights the report’s finding that manufacturing medicine for cardiovascular disease may be a realistic entry point for emerging regional manufacturers, as many of these treatments aren’t restricted by patents, while noting barriers that continue to constrict progress.