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Making Medicines in Africa

Could local production of pharmaceuticals improve health equity in Africa? It's a question our research is trying to answer. You can follow our latest findings below.


Could Biosimilars Reduce Cost of Treating NCDs? - Dinar Kale

Herceptin Fab (antibody) - light and heavy chains - image
17 February 2017

Despite their potential, the challenge of overcoming the gap between availability and affordability for low-income populations remains.

Kenyan and Tanzanian Medicine Producers Deserve a Shot in the Arm - Samuel Wangwe & Maureen Mackintosh

Local production of medicines in Africa image
30 September 2016

Local production of medicines can create a win-win situation for health and employment.

Continuous Improvement Is Not Enough - Julius Mugwagwa

Machine making liquid medicines in Africa image
4 March 2016

Rather than trying to play catch-up, African pharmaceutical companies need manufacturing systems which meet users' needs both quickly and cheaply.

Pharmaceutical Standards: A Challenging Balancing Act - Dinar Kale

Innogen policy
26 June 2015

While standards help ensure safety, they can also act as barriers to market entry. A look at the contentious issue of regulation's impact on health delivery.

Producing Medicines in Africa Will Only Work if They Can Be Distributed Properly - Julius Mugwagwa

Julius Mugwagwa image
10 February 2015

Access to medicine relies on both production and distribution, but which should come first when it comes to health spending?

Industrial Policies Are Crucial to Ensure Markets - Sudip Chaudhuri

Professor Sudip Chaudhuri image
14 October 2014

A new study suggests policies to ensure the required market are crucial to the promotion of local production in small African countries.

What about National Drug Supply Security? - Geoff Banda

Geoff Banda image
14 July 2014

Geoff Banda argues that if improvements to local health systems in Africa are to be long term, then security of supply must be addressed.

Local Production Supports Rural Access to Medicines in Tanzania - Maureen Mackintosh

Maureen Mackintosh image
15 June 2014

Maureen Mackintosh shares research showing local producers can and do benefit public health in Africa, in particular by supporting access to medicines.

Local Pharma in Africa: Going Nowhere, Slowly? - Julius Mugwagwa

Julius Mugwagwa image
15 April 2014

How good would local manufacturing of pharmaceutical products really be for public health in Africa? Julius Mugwagwa takes a look at the evidence.

Contact us

To find out more about our work, or to discuss a potential project, please contact:

International Development Research Office
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
The Open University
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA
United Kingdom

T: +44 (0)1908 858502
E: international-development-research@open.ac.uk