USAID Commits $2.3M to Boost Malaria Treatment Access in Nigeria
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced a significant investment of $2.3 million aimed at acquiring 4.8 million doses of malaria tablets from Nigerian pharmaceutical company Swiss Pharma (Swipha). This initiative, revealed in a statement from the US Embassy in Abuja on Tuesday, is part of the President’s Malaria Initiative and seeks to enhance the availability of essential malaria treatments in Nigeria and throughout West Africa.
This funding comes at a crucial time as Nigeria faces difficulties in obtaining affordable, high-quality medications. The embassy’s statement highlighted the transformative potential of this collaboration, which is expected to improve access to life-saving drugs across the region.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), fewer than 10 percent of medicines produced in sub-Saharan Africa adhere to international quality standards. This lack of conformity severely hampers local pharmaceutical firms in their efforts to provide critical treatments, particularly malaria medicines and essential drugs needed for maternal and child health.
In an effort to address these pressing issues, USAID has partnered with Swipha to facilitate the WHO prequalification of its sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine tablets, a vital treatment for preventing malaria in pregnant women. Swipha has achieved a notable milestone by becoming the first pharmaceutical company in Nigeria and the broader West African region to receive this certification.
“We owe this achievement to the crucial support from USAID,” stated Frederic Lieutaud, Managing Director of Swipha. “Obtaining the WHO prequalification not only demonstrates our dedication to producing high-quality medicines but also enhances our ability to ramp up production and serve both local and international markets with essential, reliable treatments.”
With the WHO certification secured, Swipha is now in a stronger position to supply these crucial malaria tablets to international donors and procurement agencies, thereby increasing the availability of life-saving medications in Nigeria and beyond. This development is anticipated to strengthen local manufacturing capacity, address key healthcare challenges, and contribute to larger public health initiatives.
Melissa Jones, USAID Mission Director to Nigeria, visited Swipha’s Lagos facility to commemorate this accomplishment. “This achievement highlights the importance of collaboration in enhancing healthcare in Nigeria. We are proud to have played a role in supporting Swipha in this process and are eager to continue our partnership to ensure that more quality medicines reach those in need,” she remarked. “Together, we are fostering a healthier future for Nigeria.”
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