The under-representation of Africa in medical research regarding new infections is an issue the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) and H3D Foundation (H3D-F) aim to address, as their renewed partnership focuses on equipping early and mid-career African scientists with skill development opportunities.
Despite 20% of the global burden of disease affecting the African population, only 2% of new infectious disease research stems from Africa according to 2021 data from the African Union and Africa CDC, says a press release by IFPMA. This striking disparity served as a call to action for both IFPMA and H3D-F when they formed their initial partnership in 2021. Their collective aim was to create opportunities for skill development among early and mid-career African scientists.
In addition to continuing this mission, the renewed three-year-long partnership will now embark on a range of expansive initiatives. These are aimed at fortifying health systems, broadening the innovation ecosystem value chain, and overcoming obstacles that prevent African scientists from spearheading more innovative drug discoveries, according to another press release by IFPMA.
This announcement was made at the Conference on Public Health in Africa held in Lusaka. Prof. Kelly Chibale, chairman and CEO of H3D-F and founder and director of H3D, elaborated on how partnering with IFPMA has enabled H3D-F to widen its initiatives' scope while also introducing new programs. "This partnership has also catalyzed interactions with representatives from the innovative pharmaceutical industry at both local and international levels," said Chibale during his conference speech.
Richard Amewu, principal investigator at Drug Innovation Group within University of Ghana remarked on how instrumental IFPMA's partnership with H3D Foundation has been in boosting credibility across the continent which has helped unlock further international investment for drug discovery research & development. "The continuation of the partnership between IFPMA and H3D Foundation is essential to allow us to continue to gain momentum with building the African drug discovery ecosystem, and to address critical gaps in research capacity, capabilities, and infrastructure," Amewu commented in the press release.
