1. Technology Transfer to Africa Based Manufacturers
Africa Pharmaceutical Conference
Johannesburg, 4 June 2019
Technology Transfer to Africa Based Manufacturers
Alastair West
PMPA Business Plan Coordinator 1

2. First some key observations
Strengthening the pharmaceutical industry in Africa can contribute to improved access to safe, effective, affordable and available essential medicines.
Achieving the objectives requires a comprehensive approach across many issues.
However, any questions as to whether Africa can compete in terms of quality and cost have been put to bed.
One important consideration is the role of technology transfer to African manufacturers

3. Quality is a function of adherence to GxP and the comprehensive development of products
We have focused much of our attention on supporting companies increase adherence to GMP
A portfolio of licensed products with complete dossiers is also required.
Some companies have developed products that have been WHO PQ’d, but this is a long and costly process
High quality products are also required for other indications currently outside the PQ process
Organically developing a full portfolio of such products is challenging
Companies that have or are investing in upgrading may need to build their portfolio through accessing technology

4. Access to new products can be achieved in variety of ways
Options for accessing new products include:
Purchasing dossiers
Voluntary licensing agreements
Joint Ventures
However, these (and others) may not include explicit technology transfer, which is desirable as:
Adapting a product to a new site is not straight forward
Manufacturers can more rapidly access the market
Tech transfer can be South-South and North-South
Generic manufacturers from India and elsewhere have already engaged in transferring products
Should be opportunities for leading African manufacturers through the MPP and with individual MNCs (e.g. Gilead)

5. Realising these opportunities and increasing their regularity requires action to be taken
Companies need increased opportunities to access technology
African manufacturers need to have a strategic vision of what they want and their business objectives when engaging with technology providers
We have held a number of partnering events
We have conducted a pilot initiative to mentor companies to identify their requirements and to develop their proposition for potential partners
Scaling up approaches that facilitate access to technology and raising awareness of opportunities in Africa for technology providers should be priorities in this overall agenda