Sub-Saharan Africa has taken an important but careful step towards becoming more self-reliant in healthcare. For the first time, HIV medicines and testing kits made in Africa are now being used in national health programmes.
One key example is Mozambique, which is now buying HIV treatment produced in Africa. This is a big achievement for a region that has about 65% of the world’s HIV cases and has always depended on imported HIV medicines and testing kits.
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) weakens the body’s defence system, making it harder to fight infections and some types of cancer. If not treated in time, HIV can develop into AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome), which is the most severe stage of the infection.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that a company in Kenya, Universal Corporation Ltd, is now the first African manufacturer to get WHO approval (prequalification) to produce HIV medicines.
This company is now allowed to produce a combination HIV drug known as TLD (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, lamivudine, and dolutegravir), which is the first-line treatment for HIV patients.
In a major development, the Global Fund—an international group that supports efforts to fight HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria—is buying this African-made HIV medicine for Mozambique. This is the first time the Global Fund is buying TLD made in Africa.
Dr Meg Doherty, Director of WHO’s Global HIV Programmes, said, “Buying HIV treatment made in Africa is a big step. It will help make medicine supplies more reliable for people living with HIV.”
WHO said this progress is part of a larger effort to help African countries produce more of their own health products and reduce their dependence on imports.
WHO has been working with African governments, manufacturers, and global health partners like the Global Fund and Unitaid to improve the quality and capacity of African health product manufacturing.
“Making quality health products in Africa is urgent,” said Rogerio Gaspar, WHO’s Director for Regulation and Prequalification. “Every time an African company meets WHO’s standards, Africa moves closer to a stronger and fairer health system.”
However, WHO warned that just producing these medicines is not enough. For long-term success, Africa also needs good purchasing policies, guaranteed markets, and continuous technical support.
WHO also highlighted a major gap in the area of HIV testing. As donor funding reduces, many African countries are struggling to keep their HIV testing programmes running. Testing is the first step in both prevention and treatment.
In a positive move, a Nigerian company, Codix Bio, has recently received a licence to start producing rapid HIV test kits. These kits give quick results and will be made locally in Nigeria.
Dr Doherty said that producing HIV test kits in Africa will make them cheaper and will help fix problems in the supply chain, such as delays and shortages.
WHO is also advising African countries to use low-cost, WHO-approved rapid HIV tests as the first test in national testing processes. This can save money while still providing reliable testing services.
Although these developments are signs of progress, WHO said that more efforts are still needed.
“Making HIV medicines like TLD in Africa is a big step forward,” WHO said. “But we must continue to take more actions to fully achieve health self-reliance.”
