BusinessDay reports limited inclusion of three African countries in medicine access plans

Each country features in fewer than ten of the 245 access plans analysed, despite substantial disease burdens. More than half of the plans include no country in sub-Saharan Africa. Ibeh considers how this limited coverage could delay access to new treatments for cancer, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases, with a particular focus on Nigeria. 

The coverage also looks beyond registration to affordability, supply and health system capacity. Cancer care partnerships in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo illustrate how companies can work with local institutions to address barriers to diagnosis and treatment. 

Claudia Martínez, Director of Research at the Foundation, cautions that progress remains concentrated among too few companies, products and diseases. She calls for approaches that work to be adopted more widely across the industry.