Generic Drug Makers Seen as Key to Bridging Africa’s Medicine Access Gap, New Report Finds

Shifting healthcare demands across Africa are opening doors for generic drug producers to alleviate longstanding medicine shortages, yet achieving lasting supply will require stronger regional cooperation, steady demand forecasts, and increased investment.

A recent study from the Access to Medicine Foundation looks at how eight global and regional generic drug makers are adapting to Africa’s changing pharmaceutical environment, where growing burdens of diabetes, heart disease and cancer are compounding existing infectious‑disease and maternal‑health challenges.

The analysis covers Aspen Pharmacare, Cipla, Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries, EVA Pharma, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Sothema, Universal Corporation and Viatris. It notes that these companies are boosting local manufacturing, broadening their supply networks, moving into key therapy areas, and forming alliances to enhance production capacity.

Nevertheless, substantial structural obstacles persist. Disjointed procurement mechanisms, volatile demand, varied regulatory frameworks, and scarce affordable financing hinder manufacturers’ efforts to grow sustainably throughout the continent.

“Africa stands at a pivotal moment,” remarked Jayasree K Iyer, CEO of the Access to Medicine Foundation. “For years the continent’s health agenda centered on HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, but now non‑communicable diseases—especially diabetes and cardiovascular conditions—are rising sharply and are expected to surpass infectious illnesses as the top cause of death in sub‑Saharan Africa by 2030.”

Africa’s heavy dependence on imported medicines leaves it vulnerable to global supply shocks. Iyer noted that roughly 95% of active pharmaceutical ingredients used in the region are sourced abroad, and 70%–80% of the medicines consumed there originate outside Africa.

Claudia Martínez, the foundation’s Director of Research, added that the growing challenge lies in constructing a pharmaceutical system capable of consistently satisfying patients’ requirements.

“We are at a turning point for African pharmaceutical manufacturing,” she said. “The issue is no longer whether medicines can get to African markets, but how to create a supply chain that is resilient, more affordable, and less reliant on a limited number of producers.”

Manufacturers are already branching into insulin, cardiovascular drugs and oncology treatments, while still providing medicines for infectious diseases and maternal health.

Martínez emphasized that local production is especially vital for patients whose therapy requires uninterrupted access to medication.

“Local production lowers the risk of stockouts, guaranteeing that patients receive the correct medicines when they need them,” she said. “This is crucial for chronic conditions like diabetes, where any treatment gap—or in oncology care—can pose life‑threatening dangers.”

However, Dr Mariatou Tala Jallow, Director of the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism at Africa CDC, cautioned that factory investments must be accompanied by corresponding market development.

“Considerable funding has flowed into the supply side, with many organizations citing millions or billions invested in African manufacturers,” she observed. “Yet without a viable market, how can these producers remain competitive?”

Jallow urged wider adoption of pooled procurement and regional markets to generate steady demand and enable manufacturers to realize economies of scale.

“We are so focused on individual markets that we miss the bigger picture,” she said, advocating that Africa treat pharmaceutical manufacturing as a continental priority rather than a collection of national efforts.

The report recommends coordinated procurement, regulatory alignment, better demand transparency, and financing mechanisms designed to support regional manufacturers.

For Jallow, bolstering Africa’s pharmaceutical security will necessitate a purposeful shift toward increased reliance on capable African manufacturers.

“Invest in regional manufacturing. Invest in African manufacturers, and look beyond mere price points,” she said. “When we provide them with volume, costs will naturally decline.”

With Africa’s pharmaceutical market projected to surpass $70 billion by 2030, the report highlights both a rising demand and a substantial commercial opportunity. Realizing that potential for improved access, however, will hinge on coordinated efforts among governments, manufacturers, regulators, procurement bodies, development financiers, and global health organizations.

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