Martin Fitchet, CEO of MMV, gives a speech at the UCL plant in Kikuyu. A batch of life-saving Kenyan-manufactured antimalarial drugs, sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine (SPAQ), is on its way to protect millions of children in Mali.
Manufactured by Universal Corporation Limited (UCL), a Kenyan pharmaceutical company based in Kikuyu, the seven million-dose consignment will be the first-ever Global Fund procurement from an African manufacturer.
The medicines will be supplied to Mali through the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) programme, which provides key interventions used to protect millions of children under five from malaria each year during the rainy season.
Malaria, a life-threatening disease spread to humans by female Anopheles mosquitoes is mostly found in tropical countries. Despite it being highly preventable and curable, it remains among the leading killer diseases, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, with children under the age of five bearing the brunt.
In 2023, According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 267 million malaria cases and 597,000 deaths were in 2023 in the region.
“The WHO African Region continues to carry a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden. In 2023 the Region was home to about 94 per cent of all malaria cases and 95 per cent of deaths. Children under five years of age accounted for about 76 per cent of all malaria deaths in the Region,” WHO said in a statement on December 11, 2024.
Historically, malaria medicines used in
different programs across the continent are sourced mostly from European or
Asian manufacturers.
However despite playing a key role in reducing the severity of the disease over the years, this strategy left the region vulnerable to some external shocks and supply delays.
With technical support from Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), and an Indian-based company, Rena, UCL obtained WHO prequalification of, SPAQ in 2023, becoming the first manufacturer to do so, and earlier this year in May, the factory penned history after receiving a major procurement order from the Global Fund.
The Global Fund, which is formally known as The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, is a partnership that mobilises resources, from donors and other partners to combat these three diseases, especially in counties that have been most affected.
With the UCL-produced drugs, each of Mali’s 1.8 million children will receive four preventive doses, significantly reducing their risk of falling ill or dying from malaria, throughout the rainy season.
According to Perviz Nadhani, UCL’s managing director, in a briefing this month, there is an urgent need for collective effort between the government and the private sector to elevate regional drug manufacturing.
Nadhani affirmed that the move will be pivotal
in cushioning the continent against other emerging pressures such as new
diseases, strained global funding, extreme weather events, biological threats
including insecticide and drug resistance, and inequalities in access to
care.
“This is a win for the continent, not just Kenya or Mali. We are proud to show that African manufacturers can meet global standards and deliver for African communities,” said Dhanani.
He spoke on Friday during a high-level visit convened by UCL, and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), at the Kikuyu-based plant.
Representatives from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the WHO, the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) and leading research and policy institutions also joined the visit.
Martin Fitchet, CEO of MMV, asserted that
the prequalification and procurement of the drugs will be key to setting the
pace for other African manufacturers to meet global standards and reinforce the
continent’s pharmaceutical capacity.
“Africa bears the heaviest burden of malaria, and it must have the capacity to supply its life-saving solutions. Our collaboration with UCL is part of a broader effort gathering momentum, to localize production and unlock regional manufacturing ecosystems,” Fitchet said.
