Report says Africa’s Drug Supply Gaps Remain Wide

The article gives context to Africa’s rising disease burden, with non-communicable disease becoming increasingly prevalent while transferrable diseases continue to cause many preventable deaths across the continent.

It explains that the eight companies assessed in the new report are already stepping in to fill access gaps by strengthening supply resilience, expanding into new therapeutic areas and pursuing partnerships to build local manufacturing capacity, noting that they are responding in different ways depending on their size, technical capabilities and business models.

The article quotes Claudia Martínez, director of research at the Access to Medicine Foundation: “Africa’s healthcare needs are evolving, and manufacturers across the ecosystem will play an important role in determining whether medicine supply evolves alongside them.

“Our research shows encouraging progress – from growing local manufacturing to the emergence of new partnership models – but also highlights that companies cannot succeed in isolation. Coordinated action between stakeholders will be essential to ensuring affordable, lifesaving medicines can reach patients consistently, sustainably and at scale.”