UNAIDS statistics show that at the end of 2007, over 65 per cent of HIV/AIDS infected people lived in sub-Saharan Africa. The numbers become even more frightening when you consider that this part of the world is home to only 10 per cent of the total population. HIV/AIDS is no longer just a health issue, since all gains made in the last five or so decades are being threatened by the pandemic. These figures are made up of young people who have a lot to contribute to national economies.  Nations losing people in the prime of their lives means orphans who have little, if any, chance of completing their education and fending for themselves and the economy.  This has a tragic ripple effect.  No single ministry, country, company or organization can fight this war alone.

The monies budgeted for healthcare needs in most sub-Saharan African countries appear to be going down and the costs of meeting the healthcare needs of populations increasing. AIDS patients used to occupy more than 70 per cent of hospital beds in some public hospitals and lives of patients with treatable illnesses are threatened. Large multinational organizations (such as the World Bank) an0d bilateral organizations like PEPFAR, DfID, JICA are on record to have offered ‘unlimited amounts of money’ for the war against AIDS.

 

Excellent interpersonal contacts have been nurtured over these years, both by the CEO and the team in the East and Central Africa region. Between us we have a long association with the medical profession. Most of the work is done personally by the team that has worked in top/middle management with multinational pharmaceutical industry and enjoys excellent rapport with the medical fraternity, procurement agencies and policy makers. A large field force drives up the cost of services and prices of these essential drugs.

There has been a lot of media attention on the issue of intellectual property and the availability of anti-retrovirals. Local manufacturers have been very vocal on compulsory licence,  Working with pharmaceutical industry and the governments in the region huge strides have been made and the number of infected patients who currently access anti-retrovirals in Kenya and Uganda stand at around 200,000 and 30,000 respectively.

A list of drugs used for anti-retroviral therapy and prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections was developed and shared with major NGOs, multinational companies and manufacturing companies and a number of companies now manufacture anti-retrovirals under licence from MNCs  We are currently focusing on reproductive health, chronic illnesses and oncology.  We also working in the area of neglected diseases and looking for suitable partnerships.

Pharm Access Africa Limited is providing technical assistance with a company, which is dealing with a local importer of a major Swiss biotechnology company in field of in-vitro fertilization.
PAAL also provides support in the area of biotechnology, vaccines and HIV/AIDS trials to this company.

PAAL is providing technical assistance to a major manufacturer of Diagnostics, validation support in diagnostics equipment to another company working along with a European university.