Pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) on the African continent is set for a welcome boost following the signing of a partnership deal between African Pharmaceutical Network (APN), a Pan-African network of pharmaceutical industry professionals, stakeholders and organizations and the Holistic Drug Discovery and Development (H3D) Foundation, an organization working to unlock the potential of sustainable drug discovery R&D in Africa.
To safeguard Africa’s public health systems, there is a need to guarantee reliable access to safe, effective and quality pharmaceutical products. One of the ways to achieve this is through bolstering local pharmaceutical development and manufacturing. This is, of course, dependent on a competent workforce, enabling policies and a responsive ecosystem able to drive the requisite financing towards these advances.
Through their new partnership, APN and H3D Foundation will collaborate on building capacity for pharmaceutical professionals who will also be able to lead pharmaceutical systems strengthening efforts on the continent. The partnership will also deliver on strategic policy interventions, knowledge sharing opportunities and advocacy priorities towards an enabling ecosystem in the African pharmaceutical sector.
“Considering the pressing global health challenges on the continent, there is a need for pragmatic approaches and solutions driven by indigents to address these shortfalls. By setting up a platform to unlock this capability, APN is on the next frontier to foster strategic partnerships with like-minded institutions like H3D foundation to spur this growth,” says Dr. Odhiambo David, Curator of African Pharmaceutical Network (APN).
“Since launching in 2019, the H3D Foundation has been working to bolster Africa’s nascent R&D capability through strategic and innovative capacity building and policy shaping interventions across the continent,” says Professor Kelly Chibale, CEO and Chairperson of the H3D Foundation. “We look forward to working with APN to build capacity and strengthen pharmaceutical systems across the continent.”
Notes:
African Pharmaceutical Network (APN) is a network that brings together pharmacy professionals, stakeholders and organizations working in the African Pharmaceutical Sector for knowledge sharing, policy shaping and innovation nurturing partnerships towards a robust pharmaceutical sector anchored on; reliable access to safe, efficacious and affordable quality medicines and pharmaceuticals services for the African people.
We believe that the best way to develop the African pharmaceutical industry is to tap into the ingenuity and experiences of local players and amplify these across the continent for a robust ecosystem. Through the insights & knowledge of local players we build a resource pool for stakeholders to tap into in a quest to improve access to quality, efficacious healthcare products and technologies for the African people.
Holistic Drug Discovery and Development (H3D) Foundation is an organization that enables and unlocks the potential for sustainable drug discovery and development across Africa. It was established to complement the work of the Holistic Drug Discovery and Development Center in relation to capacity development.