Johannesburg, South Africa — June 30, 2023 - Today, alongside the Africa Health Business Symposium, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) launched a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with The United States Pharmacopeia Convention (USP) to expand access to quality-assured medical products in Africa by increasing regional manufacturing, strengthening enabling regulatory and market environments, and bolstering clinical and public health laboratory networks.
A driving force behind the African Union's New Public Health Order and serving as a major continental convener through the Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing and other initiatives, Africa CDC is at the forefront of advancing production of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics.
Through this MOU, USP commits to supporting Africa CDC's efforts to improve health equity through expanded manufacturing and strengthened health systems. This collaboration will leverage USP's decades-long work in both areas which has resulted in more than 70 products achieving WHO prequalification or other internationally recognized regulatory approvals and supporting 34 laboratories to receive global accreditations.
"We know it is possible for Africa to produce more of the diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics that are so vital to the health and well-being of Africans," said Dr. Nicaise Ndembi, Africa CDC's Senior Science Advisor. "It is through collaborations like these that we can build off of lessons learned, expand Africa's own expertise, and work toward achieving improved health equity across the continent."
Under the scope of the MOU, key areas of collaboration will include:
- Supporting increased production of quality-assured vaccines, diagnostics, and medical products through technology transfer, improvements in manufacturer compliance with current good manufacturing practices, and market-shaping strategies.
- Strengthening clinical and public health laboratory systems and networks through continued improvements in workforce competency, sustainability modeling, and achievement of relevant accreditations.
- Strengthening regulatory systems for vaccines, diagnostics, and medical products by advancing regulatory maturity, improving regulatory harmonization, and improving regulatory policies and legislation, among other areas.
- Supporting workforce development and continental competency frameworks related to laboratory strengthening, regulatory strengthening, and pharmaceutical manufacturing."Producing medical products in Africa, closer to where they are needed is a public health imperative," said Dr. Emily Kaine, USP's Senior Vice President, Global Health and Manufacturing Services. "USP isproud to collaborate with Africa CDC to realize the increasing momentum and commitments for regional manufacturing into sustainable growth and to support Africa CDC on their journey to enact the vision of the New Public Health Order."
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About Africa CDCAfrica CDC is a continental autonomous health agency of the African Union established to support public health initiatives of Member States and strengthen the capacity of their public health institutions to detect, prevent, control, and respond quickly and effectively to disease threats. For more information, please visit: http://www.africacdc.org
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About USPUSP is an independent, scientific non-profit organization focused on building trust in the supply of safe, quality medicines. We are working to strengthen the global supply chain so that the medicines people rely on for health are available when needed and work as expected. USP has 14 offices across 16 countries and has implemented global health programs in 90+ countries worldwide.
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