Malaria Venture Supports African Manufacturers

Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) today announced they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focused on strengthening African manufacturing of malaria medicines.

The objective of the MoU is to jointly enhance supply security and facilitate equitable access to quality approved antimalarials and thereby maximize the use and health impact of existing products on the continent.

“MMV and Africa CDC share a common goal of delivering quality-assured essential medicines produced in Africa,” said Pierre Hugo, MMV’s Senior Director of Market Dynamics and Global Partnerships, in a press release on December 15, 2022.

“We believe that targeted investments and collaboration with select manufacturers will create opportunities to expand access to quality antimalarials throughout both the public and private sectors.” 

The new MoU further outlines how MMV and Africa CDC will work with partners to ensure funding and procurement of locally manufactured quality-assured medicines.

The potential benefits of collaboration were highlighted with the recent WHO prequalification of a sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, a medicine that protects pregnant women from malaria.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, malaria is a vaccine-preventable mosquito-borne disease.

Various malaria vaccines have become available in 2022.