For many developing countries, like South Africa, the Covid pandemic placed the importance of local pharma production in the spotlight. Indeed, the need for self-sufficiency in producing essential medicines has emerged as a strategic imperative for many countries. South Africa, with its burgeoning healthcare needs and ambitions for economic growth, stands at a crucial juncture where establishing robust local pharma production capabilities can offer numerous benefits.

Although South Africa has several local pharmaceutical formulation companies, the majority of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) (the chemical compounds contained in medicines that actually treat or cure the disease being treated) are imported into South Africa from across the world, most notably India and China. According to the UN Comtrade database, South Africa imported pharmaceutical products to the value of US$ 3.06 Billion during 2021 alone.

Establishing robust local pharma production capabilities no doubt comes with several challenges including:

  • Infrastructure development and security (e.g. reliable electricity and water supply),
  • Local and international regulatory compliance issues,
  • Market dynamics,
  • Supply chain management, and
  • The requisite technology and expertise.

Chemistry Sparks Local Pharma Production

Although this ambitious goal cannot be achieved by any one entity acting in isolation, a research group at Nelson Mandela University led by the indomitable Prof Paul Watts is making massive strides towards making this dream a reality in our lifetime.

As Prof Watts points out:

“The way that chemistry is taught and applied in the majority of industries has remained largely unchanged for more than a century. However, one of the advantages of starting an industry from the ground up is that we have the opportunity to utilise emerging technologies.”.

One such area of technology is the synthesis of APIs using flow chemistry involving tiny reactors that can fit in the palm of your hand – from there the phrase “lab-on-a-chip” was coined. Fortunately for South Africa, Prof Watts and his team are experts in the development of synthetic methods to known APIs using these chips.

The team is continuously working on several important APIs including a selection of compounds used in the treatment of cancer, tuberculosis, malaria, and diabetes, to name a few.

Patients Protected by Patents

With South Africa home to a significant number of people living with HIV/AIDS some of the team’s  most important work is in this area. The importance of this focus is further emphasised by the fact that the number of patients with AIDS are going up, despite the availability of efficient treatment regimens. This is due to new infections and improved life expectancy of those living with the disease, which vastly increases the demand on the availability of medicines.

Currently, there are fourteen different medicines that make up the treatment regimens in South Africa and Prof Watts and his team have developed methods to seven of the fourteen medicines utilising flow chemistry including Emtricitabine, Lamivudine, Efavirenz, AZT, Dolutegravir, Stavudine and Tenofovir. Several of these methods are now protected by patents in many countries across the world, and a plant has been designed that is now capable of producing the first locally produced AIDS drugs on the continent.

Investing in local pharma production not only holds the promise of addressing supply chain concerns, but also fostering local innovation and creating employment opportunities thereby ultimately becoming a vehicle for long-term socio-economic development.