medicines for africa (mfa)

🌍 False and misleading information is leading to poor health outcomes around the world. Is happening in Africa and it is manifesting itself in various ways - lower rates of routine immunization, untested medical treatments and harmful advice online after a major disease diagnosis like for cancer are but a few examples. 💡 Misinformation fills the gaps that is left when people do not have access to reliable accurate information. When people are not given information, this creates a void that those who peddle misinformation step in to fill. Public health in Africa has particular reasons going forward and the reason is this. The US President elect has selected Robert Kennedy Jr for nomination as the next US Secretary of Health giving him tremendous sway in health policy internationally. African leaders should be concerned because Kennedy has been known for targeting Africa and African American communities with a particular brand of conspiracy theories that exploit legitimate feelings of racial injustice and health disparities in those communities. 🌐 To counter the potential influence of people like Kennedy who claim that HIV is not real and Covid-19 was propaganda, community leaders must at all times speak up and tell people accurate health information, for example that COVID-19 was not "propaganda or a hoax" and that HIV is real. Part of what is needed is that leaders address the trust deficit that can lead people to consume misinformation and to make an effort to meet people where they are and carry them along. 🔗 Read our perspective in today's Utano Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gyA_yMtF #africa #medicines #vaccines #diagnostics #medicaldevices #health #healthcare #publichealth #pandemic #arvs #qualitymedicines #safemedicines #substandardmedicines #counterfeitedmedicines #diabetes #insulin #ncds #medicinesforafrica #southafrica #zimbabwe #Rwanda #leniashwenda

🌍 On being offered donated vaccine some days ago, Burundi requested additional information on the safety and efficacy of a donated mpox vaccine and has no plans to vaccinate its population presumably until that information is availed to its regulators. Dr Ngashi Ngongo of the Africa CDC has complained that the government is requesting more information before vaccinating the populations indicating that “vaccine hesitancy may be playing a part in the government’s reluctance to vaccinate people. 💡Why is it a problem that the government of Burundi should ask for this data? Is there donor decorum that obliges sovereign African nations to accept meagre quantities of donated vaccine even if it is unlikely to have a population-wide impact? Does such decorum discourage countries from deploying regulatory guardrails for assessing their safety and efficacy? Normally, it is a government’s prerogative to perform its own assessment of product safety and risk in order to determine whether any associated risks may be acceptable to them. ❓ 💊So why is the Africa CDC criticizing Burundi and attributing their request for additional information to vaccine hesitancy? According to Ngongo “vaccine hesitancy may be playing a part in the government’s reluctance to vaccinate people. After vaccine being withheld from Burundi for so long, is it a surprise or inconceivable that the government is asking for sufficient data to support vaccination within their population in order to be assured and can anyone blame them for asking?  🔗 Check out our perspective in today’s Utano Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eyHQr7dV #africa #medicines #vaccines #diagnostics #medicaldevices #health #healthcare #publichealth #pandemic #arvs #qualitymedicines #safemedicines #substandardmedicines #counterfeitedmedicines #diabetes #insulin #ncds #medicinesforafrica #southafrica #zimbabwe #Rwanda #leniashwenda #africacdc #mpox #burundi #nigeria #drc

The Regional Director-elect for the World Health Organisation’s Africa region, Dr Faustine Ndugulile 55, passed away three days ago on Wednesday, whilst receiving medical treatment in India for an undisclosed illness according to Tulia Ackson, Tanzania’s speaker of parliament. Africa has lost a son and a leader who was still in the prime of his life. This tragic untimely death, like so many others, is a call to action for African leaders to do more to make health services available to African populations. With so much work to be done, this is huge setback for Tanzania and for the continent of Africa. It is nevertheless a poignant reminder to leaders across the African continent of the enormous unfinished business of investing in health development to improve populations health so that families can get healthcare services of good quality closer to home and at a cost they can afford. Dr Ndugulile’s passing, like that of so many others who lose their lives here at home and abroad, must spur African leaders to work harder to catalase investment in health development across the continent for the benefit of all who live on the African continent. Doing so would be the only fitting tribute to a life of one who has dedicated his life to public service and was on the cusp of a journey to do just that for millions of Africans. May his soul rest in peace. Read the article: https://lnkd.in/eBK7ZaU5 #africa #medicines #vaccines #diagnostics #medicaldevices #health #healthcare #publichealth #pandemic #arvs #qualitymedicines #safemedicines #substandardmedicines #counterfeitedmedicines #diabetes #insulin #ncds #medicinesforafrica #southafrica #zimbabwe #Rwanda #leniashwenda

🌍 Africa is amongst the regions with the lowest treatment coverage for diabetes. It is reported to have recorded no increase in treatment coverage with some countries having treatment coverage as low as below 10%. Access to diabetes treatment has not increased at all in spite of Africa's rising prevalence. In fact African countries are among those worst affected by the global rise in the incidence of diabetes. The latest data published in the Lancet shows widening gaps in access to treatment with levels persistently low in low and middle-income countries. What must Africa do to change this dynamic of high disease prevalence and limited access to treatment? #africa #medicines #vaccines #diagnostics #medicaldevices #health #healthcare #publichealth #pandemic #arvs #qualitymedicines #safemedicines #substandardmedicines #counterfeitedmedicines #diabetes #insulin #ncds #medicinesforafrica #southafrica #zimbabwe #diabetes #leniashwenda

📢🌍 Safety alert in Ethiopia -attention for health professionals❗ Novartis, the market authorization holder/manufacturer of Tegretol Oral Suspension has notified the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA) that Tegretol!® (carbamazepine) 100 mg/5ml Oral Suspension (OS), a product usually used for the management of generalized tonic-clonic and partial seizures, is no longer recommended for neonates (below 4 weeks of age for term babies or 44 weeks post-menstrual age for pre-term babies) due to the amount of propylene glycol (PG) in this formulation. Refer to the circular below dated 6/11/2024 #africa #medicines #vaccines #diagnostics #medicaldevices #health #healthcare #publichealth #pandemic #arvs #qualitymedicines #safemedicines #substandardmedicines #counterfeitedmedicines #diabetes #insulin #ncds #medicinesforafrica #southafrica #zimbabwe #Rwanda #leniashwenda #ethiopia

🌍 Chad kicked off an ambitious triple vaccine rollout a few days ago, including the R21 malaria vaccine, marking a significant step forward in its efforts to safeguard the health and well-being of millions of children. Along with the World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended R21 malaria vaccine, Chad is simultaneously rolling out PCV13 pneumococcal conjugate and rotavirus vaccines, targeting 19.7 million children aged between six months and five years, among them 168 522 (aged between six and 15 months) will receive the malaria vaccine being introduced in 28 priority districts. This is important progress for Chad and its children who will be protection through vaccination. 🔗 More info: https://lnkd.in/eJ-gairS #africa #medicines #vaccines #diagnostics #medicaldevices #health #healthcare #publichealth #pandemic #arvs #qualitymedicines #safemedicines #substandardmedicines #counterfeitedmedicines #diabetes #insulin #ncds #medicinesforafrica #southafrica #zimbabwe #Rwanda #leniashwenda #chad

🌍 💡Rwanda has been stepping up measures to combat Rift Valley Fever (RVF) following the country’s second outbreak in two years, amid concerns it could spread to humans, but delayed screening and testing may have contributed to the spread of the disease which highlights the urgent need for rapid and accurate diagnostic tools according to Rwagasore Edson, co-author of the study and division manager for public health surveillance and emergency preparedness and response at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre. The re-emergence of the disease among livestock, near the border with Tanzania, sparked fears of a repeat of the 2022 outbreak, in which more than 20 people and hundreds of animals died. RVF is a viral disease that primarily affects animals but can also infect humans. No human-to-human transmission has been reported to date. The virus is spread through the bites of infected mosquitoes and through contact with the blood or organs of infected animals. This includes consuming raw meat or unpasteurised milk from infected animals. 🔗 Know more: https://lnkd.in/eyjE66Di #africa #medicines #vaccines #diagnostics #medicaldevices #health #healthcare #publichealth #pandemic #arvs #qualitymedicines #safemedicines #substandardmedicines #counterfeitedmedicines #diabetes #insulin #ncds #medicinesforafrica #southafrica #zimbabwe #Rwanda #leniashwenda #mosquitos #riftvalleyfever #rwanda

📣The Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA), and the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), are inviting industry partners to participate in the pilot phase of their bolateral Work Sharing Initiative (WSI) to streamline the registration process for biological products in both countries through joint assessment. South Africa and Egypt consider the collaboration of stakeholders in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors critical to the success of this initiative. Industry partners who participate in this joint assessment initiative will have the opportunity to: 1️⃣ Collaborate with the leading African regulatory authorities to shape the future of regulatory policies and practices.  2️⃣ Contribute to the development of regulatory frameworks that support mutual reliance and access to medicines and vaccines. Industry stakeholders are invited to express their interest in participating in this initiative by submitting a formal application after reviewing the concept paper of the initiative and its operating procedures through the links below. ⏰ Deadline to receive your application: 28th February 2025 📨 Email: EDA: Bioreg.rec@edaegypt.gov.eg  SAHPRA: eoi@sahpra.org.za WSI_Concept Note: https://lnkd.in/eHfJPuDS WSI_Annex I_Application Form: https://lnkd.in/esAChqiv WSI_Annex II_Operating Procedures: https://lnkd.in/eXrcwHhZ #africa #medicines #vaccines #diagnostics #medicaldevices #health #healthcare #publichealth #pandemic #arvs #qualitymedicines #safemedicines #substandardmedicines #counterfeitedmedicines #diabetes #insulin #ncds #medicinesforafrica #southafrica #zimbabwe #Rwanda #leniashwenda

🌍More African national regulatory authorities (NRAs) relying on each through deeper more meaningful collaboration can build confidence and drive regulatory harmonisation. This can be greatly facilitated by making the reports of WHO global benchmarking decisions public. Doing so could help to strengthen relationships between regulatory agencies and promote regulatory harmonization. However, out of six African NRAs that have been successfully benchmarked as stable, well-functioning and integrated agencies at maturity level 3 (ML3) that is Egypt and South Africa (for vaccines) or Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe (for medicines), only one - Zimbabwe, has made its report public. As the African continent strives to harmonize medicines regulation, we propose that all countries that undergo global benchmarking making their reports public. Not doing so is a missed opportunity to catalyse deeper meaningful engagement and exchange between NRAs. 🔗 Read the article: https://lnkd.in/ehd8AJQH #africa #medicines #vaccines #diagnostics #medicaldevices #health #healthcare #publichealth #pandemic #arvs #qualitymedicines #safemedicines #substandardmedicines #counterfeitedmedicines #diabetes #insulin #ncds #medicinesforafrica #southafrica #zimbabwe #Rwanda #leniashwenda

Today in Utano, some food for thought on factors holding back regulatory development in Africa. When it comes to the development of medicines regulation in African countries, there is no shortage of ambition amongst the region’s national medicines regulatory agencies (NRAs. The continent of Africa is brimming with it. Though finance has is believed to be the biggest impediment to NRA success, it may be a limiting belief that can be overcome. Regulatory excellence is more than about having meticulous systems and processes on paper if those are not applied into regulatory practice. Regulatory maturity and excellence is about practice. Small steps taken consistently. It takes a painstaking process of critical self-evaluation, course correction and continuous improvement. It is built over time. 🔗 Read the article: https://lnkd.in/eWcX5RBj #africa #medicines #vaccines #diagnostics #medicaldevices #health #healthcare #publichealth #pandemic #arvs #qualitymedicines #safemedicines #substandardmedicines #counterfeitedmedicines #diabetes #insulin #ncds #medicinesforafrica #southafrica #zimbabwe #Rwanda #leniashwenda #zimbabwe #southafrica #ghana #tanzania #egypt