Inside the push to make intellectual property work for African pharma (GO.MYDR.co)

[Gunnar Larson]

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Africa forges ahead with its pharma revolution
Devex Newswire
to me
1 hour ago
Details
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APRIL 8, 2024 BY HELEN MURPHY
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Africa’s leaders want pharmaceutical autonomy. The continent is crafting a
different vision for how innovation, intellectual property, and access to
pharmaceutical products will play out.

*Also in today’s edition:* Climate adaptation finance must urgently
increase — but how? And we explain how to wow recruiters at Tetra Tech.


Going it alone
Africa's leadership has embarked on *a bold endeavor to ramp up
pharmaceutical manufacturing* on the continent. The aim? To create health
security for its people that’s sturdy enough to withstand the many
challenges ahead.

But establishing autonomy is no easy feat, and *one big hurdle looms large*
: access to manufacturing licenses
<https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POpCphgeXlcwK-5u_CbLr-mMOu1sC6zYz5lvhAY1aKp8fakn6PJQXJR6Tgm970BC7XUiHMTmPBiIS83RXa4f7VjeMqtRrRh3lGAmBUydt5XixhAz2-VtS1vGSp040jpFkhXcxX2Bdmo1mHw1bEojyWA6jeP0lrPoB2qr8c9Xicdxm0mr5YJ1RotCaIiwIL51uZAa3JjFvjmmAIOEtLaE6XlrALqJ7RCn4uc7B2qHwh5r18BRCi5DjfsM08MJU9fli1A==/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGSXFpFpYe6qPxaMhgu9kubOcgvGSsL639SaBR3oxmSoIknWN2fK-X2UrDY-9leXGArS3JuA2M=>.
With pharmaceutical patent holders mostly overseas, securing permissions is
a complex task, and there aren’t enough partnerships with foreign entities
to guide local producers.

On top of that, there’s a scarcity of trained personnel, inadequate
infrastructure, a dearth of local research and development initiatives,
feeble regulatory frameworks, and financial risks to potential investors.

The *tides are slowly turning*, however, and a lot of effort is being
funneled into making this happen, writes Devex Senior Reporter Sara
Jerving. As part of the push, experts gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,
for the first International Conference on Innovation, Intellectual Property
and Technology Transfer in Africa’s Pharmaceutical Sector — hosted by the
new African Pharmaceutical Technology Foundation, which was launched by the
African Development Bank.

But there are no panaceas, and *numerous barriers must be dismantled* for
things to fall into place, participants said. While power predominantly
lies outside the continent — in the hands of multinational pharmaceutical
giants — African nations have levers capable of reshaping the status quo.

“We are in a defining moment. We really need to make sure that we will not
miss the opportunity,” says Michel Sidibé, the African Union special envoy
for the African Medicines Agency. “We really need a paradigm shift … from a
privilege-centered approach to a people-centered approach.”

Sara lays out just *what’s needed to transform issues around intellectual
property* and technology transfer in Africa’s pharmaceutical manufacturing
and gives the lowdown on the difficulties ahead.

*Read:* Inside the push to make intellectual property work for African
pharma
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