Africa’s limited pharmaceutical industry, high costs of raw materials, and dependence on imported medicines have long hampered citizens’ access to the medicines they need.  The challenges the continent faces are daunting. They include poor supply chain systems, lack of government investment in the pharmaceutical sector, unfavourable manufacturing conditions, limited health workforce, lack of sustainable health […] Continue reading ->
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has extended quarantine measures in the two districts at the epicentre of the country’s Ebola epidemic for another 21 days, citing the need to protect gains in the fight against the virus. This marks the third renewal of lockdowns in Kassanda and Mubende, and authorities are hopeful it will be the […] Continue reading ->
In a major step forward for the new regulatory alliance, Africa’s third-largest economy, South Africa is now moving to join the African Medicines Agency.  South Africa’s Cabinet has approved the signing of the African Union treaty establishing the African Medicines Agency (AMA) and submitted it to Parliament for ratification, according to a government statement on […] Continue reading ->
Ugandan health officials have announced an Ebola outbreak following the confirmation of the relatively rare Sudan strain in the country’s Mubende district, while the government of Ghana has declared the end of the country’s first ever Marburg outbreak.  According to the health authorities in Uganda, the Uganda Virus Research Institute confirmed Ebola in a 24-year-old […] Continue reading ->
Despite numerous announcements and plans to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Africa, the basic requirements for testing for drug-resistant pathogens are unmet in most areas, according to a new study of 14 countries. Only 1.3% of the 50,000 medical laboratories in the participating countries are conducting routine bacteriological testing to definitively identify the type of […] Continue reading ->
African nations need to pivot to prevention in their fight against disease by “addressing its root causes” through a greater focus on improved diets, healthier environments, and better road safety, among other factors, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the 72nd WHO Regional Committee for Africa meeting, at the opening of the weeklong session of […] Continue reading ->