Meeting outcomes & results: R&D in Africa — a new network says it can be done Study outlines the gaps and opportunities
09 Oct 2008 Comments (3)Abuja, Nigeria — African-based researchers and institutions have the capacity to develop new drugs and diagnostic tools for diseases affecting Africans, but are hampered by a lack of coordination and funding to the continent. At the conclusion of the first meeting of the new African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI) in Abuja, Nigeria, participants from 21 countries committed to a network approach to increase the ability of African countries to bring forward new medicines and diagnostics.
The Vice-President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, stated that “Nigeria is in full support for ANDI. We understand the pivotal role of R&D to national development”. Nigeria’s minister of health, the chair of the Nigerian senate committee for health, and the minister of state for the federal capital territory of Nigeria, attended.
Communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV and malaria account for about 60% of the mortality and morbidity in Africa. There are pockets of product discovery and development activities in Africa, but no one African country or institution has demonstrated the capacity to move from basic research to the commercialization of a new drug.
His Excellency Tom Mboya-Okeyo, Ambassador of Kenya in Geneva, who led the concluding session, said, “ANDI is a valuable niche in the global strategy”. He was referring to the efforts by the World Health Organization to develop a plan to increase R&D and intellectual property management across the globe.
A new study mapping the R&D capacity and gaps was released at the meeting. Conducted by the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), in collaboration with African institutions, it concluded that there is enough capacity on the continent to build from, with significant potential for increasing the number and quality of new tools developed, as well as providing economic development to the countries. It also highlighted the need for a systematic evaluation and validation of the biological activities of traditional medicines.
This initial report of the 4 UN organizations sponsoring TDR (UNICEF, UNDP, the World Bank and WHO), along with the commitment from the African countries, will be used to build support and collaboration with health experts, high level national officials, business leaders, international organizations, donors and policy makers. The goal is to develop locally sustainable health research and development, coordinated through an African-based and led organization. TDR Director Robert Ridley said, “ANDI will help connect people and give African scientists the opportunities to lead and manage this research and development. We believe that this approach will lead to long-term sustainability and success”.
The full report and more detailed coverage on the meeting is available online at www.who.int/tdr/svc/research/lead-discovery-drugs.
10 Oct 2008 at 8:25 am
ANDI is a novel initiative, the energy I saw during the inaugural meeting in Abuja if channelled properly and effectively supportted can jump start drug and diagnostic development and innovation in Africa.
10 Oct 2008 at 6:24 pm
This astute group of professionals should be able to achieve amazing advancements in the stagnant sector of Traditional Medicine in Africa. I have been following the progress of several African institutes of excellence for years including NIPRD and SHESTCO and I continue to be impressed with the R&D advancements that have made by these diligent organizations in recent years. They are surely lacking proper funding and government initiatives and still prevail with breakthrough research. It is unimaginable how some of the resulting research products that have proven efficacious remain unavailable to those suffering from neglected diseases such as Anemia, Malaria, Sickle Cell, TB, for example the NIPRD medicine Niprisan has been approved for marketing for several years and remains unavailable to those who need it. I truly hope this organized effort can bring forward the essential medicines needed to help those suffering and ultimately reduce the staggering mortality rates across the region.
15 Oct 2008 at 8:29 am
ANDI steering committee and Ambassador Mboya should help us (African Scientists) tell our African our “leaders” to change their orientation towards research in Africa. It is time to begin to fashion indigenous scientific
approach to solving indigenous problems.I hope the wonderful Solomon and Inyang’s initiative/birth of ANDI will be able
to address the domestication of
science. There are so many wonderful policies around, but little or no FUNDING from the government,because of GREED, SELFISHNESS and AVARICE. African governments can spent millions of dollars on salaries/allowances for politicians, but they cannot understand why they should fund research.I sincerely hope that the Abuja meeting will not be “one of those meetings”