Unitaid board in Kenya to assess impact of its health investments

The Unitaid board is in the country to take stock of the public health impact its investments have had in the country.

Unitaid is a global health initiative that works with partners to bring about innovations to prevent, diagnose and treat major diseases in low- and middle-income countries.

It is a global health partnership hosted by the World Health Organisation in Geneva.

The role is to find innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases and accelerate them more quickly, effectively and for affordable prices to those with unmet health needs.

The main areas of focus for Unitaid include an emphasis on tuberculosis, malaria, HIV/AIDS, cancer, malaria and medical oxygen.

At present, Unitaid supports 11 health innovation projects in Kenya advancing access to better tests, treatments and tools to manage HIV, TB, Malaria, cervical cancer, fever management in children, medical oxygen and maternal health.

The delegation led by Executive Board Chair Marisol Touraine is expected to meet with officials from the Ministry of Health and the private sector.

They will also visit a medical manufacturing site, two healthcare facilities and manufacturing sites to review how Unitaid can further optimise access to lifesaving health innovations.

Spokesperson and head of communications Unitaid Herve Verhoosel said the partnership between Kenya and Unitaid had seen the country pioneer the use of early infant HIV diagnostics, best-in-class antiretroviral drugs for adults and children and child-friendly TB medicines.

The country has also been able to benefit from cutting-edge screening and treatment solutions for cervical cancer, a new malaria vaccine, and access to COVID-19 tests and therapeutics.

“Kenya and Unitaid have also been at the forefront of regional manufacturing of health products. In 2022, Universal Corporation Ltd was the first African manufacturer to gain WHO prequalification for medicine used to prevent malaria in pregnant women and Children," he said.

"Revital Healthcare Ltd has achieved US Food and Drug Administration quality approvals for a respiratory device that supports newborns and infants with medical oxygen, without the need for electricity,” Verhoosel noted.

According to Verhoosel, Kenya is a top priority country based on the fact that it is the quickest to adopt and scale up critical health innovations and has the greatest number of Unitaid projects that have been implemented.

Beyond the ministry, Unitaid collaborates with the Kenya Medical Research Institute(Kemri), the University of Nairobi, the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority and the Kenya Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society.

With evidence generated from Unitaid's investment generated from Unitaid investment with technical assistance from WHO the ministry has updated national guidelines.

As a result, better health solutions have been scaled up with the financial resources of the government and funding agencies.

These include the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the US Presidents Agency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

According to Unitaid Deputy Executive Director, Tenu Avafia, the collaboration has made it possible for Kenya to have access to game-changing health innovations for those who need them.

“We have positioned ourselves as an organisation between innovators and scale-up partners," Afavia said.

He added:

"In other words when there is a viable health innovation or product about to come out in the pipeline we assess its benefit and if it is seen to have a bigger health impact, we then accelerate it."

The board said Unitaid is looking actively at possibilities to boost access to medical oxygen in Kenya through additional investments.

In partnership with Vayu Global Health Innovations, Unitaid is in the large stage of development and regulatory approval of a life-saving infant oxygen device.

The Vayu Oxygen Blender system is the first blended low-flow oxygen therapy system that does not require electricity or compressed air.

Low-flow oxygen therapy can be a lifesaving treatment for hypoxemic infants and children.