African Medicines Agency: How it will change the landscape of medicines in Africa
Issued Date
2023-06-01
Resource Type
eISSN
27692450
DOI
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85195323861
Journal Title
Public Health Challenges
Volume
2
Issue
2
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Public Health Challenges Vol.2 No.2 (2023)
Suggested Citation
Ogbodum M.U., Shomuyiwa D.O., Lucero-Prisno D.E., Gutu C.T., Bouali H., Bangura B.N., Fofana M., Musa M.B., Daoud H.A., Owusu-Mensah P., Fiagan D.D.C., Danquah C.A., Samai M. African Medicines Agency: How it will change the landscape of medicines in Africa. Public Health Challenges Vol.2 No.2 (2023). doi:10.1002/puh2.96 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/98723
Title
African Medicines Agency: How it will change the landscape of medicines in Africa
Author's Affiliation
Amoud University
Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako
Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo
University of the Philippines Open University
University of Sierra Leone
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology
Omdurman Islamic University
Ministry of Health and Child Welfare Zimbabwe
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Hassan II University of Casablanca
University of Calabar
Mahidol University
University of Lagos
International Pharmaceutical Students Federation
International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation
Global Health Focus
Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako
Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo
University of the Philippines Open University
University of Sierra Leone
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology
Omdurman Islamic University
Ministry of Health and Child Welfare Zimbabwe
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Hassan II University of Casablanca
University of Calabar
Mahidol University
University of Lagos
International Pharmaceutical Students Federation
International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation
Global Health Focus
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
The African continent, with a population of about 1.2 billion, faces limited access to safe, high-quality and effective medicine, resulting in a disproportionate disease burden. However, the scarcity of pharmaceuticals has been a significant problem for decades. The need to scale up local production of medicines in Africa is apparent, as over 70% of drugs available in the continent are imported. Africa's pharmaceutical manufacturing industry capacity is subpar due to inadequate production equipment and substandard operations. Inadequate pharmaceutical supplies encouraged the circulation of fake drugs, and the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the dangers of the continent's reliance on foreign supplies. Africa's porous borders create ease for drug counterfeiting, with little likelihood of detection once in the supply chain. The African Medicines Agency (AMA) was founded to model the European Medicines Agency to enhance regional drug production, regulation and patient access. The African Union's AMA is a specialized health organization tasked with enhancing regulatory harmonization of medicines, particularly in pharmaceutical production, to increase access to high-quality medications across the continent. Africa's healthcare industry, particularly domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing, will be a significant economic engine for the continent over the next 5 years. The establishment of AMA is a call to action for governments and regulators to enable Africa to manufacture 60% of the vaccines needed on the continent by 2040.