GENEVA – Insulin made in Egypt will be available in sub-Saharan Africa within months, thanks to a partnership between Eli Lilly and a local manufacturer aiming to produce one million doses of insulin by 2030 Become.
Eli Lilly has offered Egypt’s EVA Pharma an active ingredient (API) for insulin at a “deeply discounted price,” a life-saving drug used to treat diabetes, one of the fastest growing health foods. Enables cheaper and faster production of drugs. continental problem.
Eli Lilly will also provide no-cost technology transfer for EVA Pharma to formulate, fill and complete insulin vials and cartridges as part of its global effort to enable 30 million insulin doses by 2030. It is expected to be.
Dr Bente Mikkelsen, Director of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Programme, welcomed the initiative, which was announced at a special event on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva.
“If we can control diabetes, we can reach the SDG targets for NCDs,” Mikkelsen said. “With 74% of deaths worldwide due to NCDs, we need to focus on early diagnosis and treatment and universal coverage.”
An estimated 3-4 million Africans are currently living with diabetes, but less than 50% are aware of their condition,” Eli Lilly’s Lee Ann Pusey said late Monday. said at another event.
But if current projections are correct, about 54 million Africans are likely to suffer from diabetes by 2045, “that’s a 144% increase,” she said, making it the most projected in the world. As said diabetes rate is increasing in Egypt. especially affected.
Riyad Almanias, CEO of EVA Pharma, said his company signed the agreement Partnering with Eli Lilly in December, his company has been building insulin manufacturing capacity over the past five months.
“We will celebrate the completion of the biologics facility next week, after which regulatory approval is required, but we plan to start manufacturing by the end of the year,” Almanias said. health policy watch.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, director of the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention, expressed support for the effort and revealed that her father died of diabetes because he was unable to get insulin.
“Only 30% of the medicines used in Africa are produced on the African continent,” said Kaseya, adding that he will convene a local manufacturing conference with African leaders in July.
Dr. Lois Pace, Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said Americans also face challenges in getting insulin, and the country will be a “true partner” in improving global supplies. said he was trying. of insulin.
Pace revealed that her own mother-in-law died of diabetes in The Gambia after failing to administer insulin.
Image credit: WHO.
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