Why the African Medicines Agency? Why Now?

10 March 2021 Geneva, Switzerland
Date

10 March 2021

Time

14:20 to 15:20

Location

Geneva, Switzerland

Attendance

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Two years after the treaty agreed to establish an African Medicines Agency, over 40 leading organizations called Heads of State and Government to ratify the Treaty as a matter of priority. Although there has been political support, legal commitment from more countries remains to be secured for the continent-wide regulatory agency to become a reality. The Treaty has so far been signed by 19 countries, but only 8 out of the necessary 15 have ratified it.

Following the multi-stakeholder Call to AU Heads of State to Ratify the AMA Treaty, the panel will seek to bring its content to the attention of African health organizations having a stake in its implementation and explain its importance in the journey towards universal health coverage.

The event is organized by IFPMA and IAPO as part of the Africa Health Agenda International Conference (AHAIC 2021).

Registration:

https://2021conference.ahaic.org/

(Registration is free of charge. Once you register for the conference, you will be sent a link and you can RSVP to the sessions you are keen to attend)

Program

Registration

https://2021conference.ahaic.org/en/registration

(Registration is free of charge. On the registration page, please select “Day 3” – the title of the panel will appear. Once you register for the conference, you will be sent a link and you can RSVP to the sessions you are keen to attend)

4:20pm – 5:20pm EAT / 14:20 to 15:20 CET

The session will bring patients, industry, PDPs and other public and private health stakeholders around the table to explain why AMA is key to optimizing sustainability in the supply of medicinal and healthcare products for diseases disproportionately affecting Africa.

The moderator will also engage with AU Commission representative to give her view on the process of ratification and implementation of the future Agency.

Taking place at the AHAI Conference, the Round table will elevate the issue of AMA ratification and implementation on the African health agenda and bring home the importance of regulatory harmonisation to ensure African patients have timely access to safe, effective, quality medicines, vaccines, medical devices, diagnostics and technology.

Speakers

Philip Tagboto Chairman of Association of Representatives of Ethical Pharmaceutical Industries (AREPI)

Philip is the Chairman of Association of Representatives of Ethical Pharmaceutical Industries. He has been working with Leadership and stakeholders to shape national policies that have a direct or indirect impact on the work of multinational Pharma companies in Ghana. He also worked with the FDA to launch marketing code to regulate pharmaceutical marketing. He is a trained pharmacist with with 15 years of pharma industry experience in varied roles of increasing responsibility within West Africa. Philip currently works for Novartis as EWA Cluster Business Operations/Country Head Ghana.
He holds Bachelors of Pharmacy from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Certificate in Business Administration from teGraduate School of Governance and Leadership (Almond Institute).

Dr Margaret Agama-Anyetei Head of the Health, Nutrition and Population Division Africa Union

Dr Margaret Agama-Anyetei is the Head of the Health, Nutrition and Population Division of the African Union Department for Social Affairs. A senior medical doctor with specialty in clinical and neuro-psychology, she has extensive experience working with marginalized and vulnerable populations particularly women and children and key populations in conflict and humanitarian settings. She has wide management and field experience in various national, regional and international settings.
She has a very strong clinical and advocacy background in the area of HIV and AIDS. She has also worked in areas of Health policy development, Advocacy and Policy and Strategic development in the areas of HIV/AIDS and in the integration of Gender, HIV and AIDS and Sexual and Reproductive Health. Over the past 30 years she has held several managerial positions at national level, within the UN system and at the African Union Commission.

Emmanuel Mujuru Chair of the Board of the Federation of African Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations (FAPMA)

Emmanuel Mujuru is a qualified pharmacist, entrepreneur and businessman with a passion for the development of local pharmaceutical production not only in Zimbabwe but in Africa in general. Emmanuel has been active in the pharmaceutical industry for the past 20 years during which he gained extensive experience in pharmaceutical production, research and development, quality assurance and marketing and distribution. Chief Executive Officer and founder of Plus Five Pharmaceuticals (Pvt) Ltd a Zimbabwean based pharmaceutical manufacturing company. The company manufactures a wide range of generic pharmaceutical products. He is the Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association of Zimbabwe (PMA) a national association representing pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in Zimbabwe. Treasurer ad EXCO member the Southern African Generic Medicines Association (SAGMA) a voluntary association drawing its membership from SADC member states. SAGMA promotes local production and use of generic medicines.

Mary Ampomah President and CEO, Global Alliance of Sickle Cell Disease Organisations (GASCDO)

Mary Akua Ampomah is a Clinical Psychologist at the Ghana Institute of Clinical Genetics where the adolescent and adult SCD clinic is located. She has had the opportunity to be a part-time lecturer at the Department of Psychology of the University of Ghana, Legon and currently teaching at the Regent University of Science and Technology. She is pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ghana, Legon. Mary is particularly interested in the psychological wellbeing and quality of life of SCD patients. She is also interested in the neuropsychology of SCD patients in Ghana. She is currently collaborating with Sickle Cell Foundation Ghana on their GENECIS tour which aims at implementing a culturally sensitive and evidence-based SCD counselling in Ghana. Ms. Mary Akua Ampomah is a Board Member, has been appointed interim Acting President and CEO . Ms. Ampomah is the 1st CEO/President of GASCDO to come from the African Continent.

Isaac Nii Ofoli Anang Chairperson, African Regional Office, International Pharmaceutical Students' Federation (IPSF)

Isaac Nii Ofoli Anang is a recent Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) graduate from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi – Ghana. He is currently serving as the Chairperson of the African Regional Office (AfRO) of the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF) and working as a QualityRx Pharmacy Services Associate with mPharma, Accra Ghana.
Passionate about student and youth empowerment to take up revolutionary roles in healthcare, Isaac is a crusader of youth leaders in the global health workforce and he is an advocate for the pivotal role that pharmacists, especially young pharmacists, have to play in public health, access to quality, affordable and efficacious medicines; and achieving universal health coverage in sub/Saharan Africa.

Oksana Pyzik Senior Teaching Fellow, Global Engagement Lead and Founder of UCL Fight the Fakes

Oksana Pyzik is the Founder of UCL Fight the Fakes chapter & Academic Chair of the wider FTF Alliance, with the organisational mission of raising awareness on substandard and falsified medical products. She is also a UK registered Pharmacist with experience across primary care, academia and in global public health. Since 2013, Oksana has held an academic post at the UCL School of Pharmacy as a Lecturer in Global Health & Pharmacy Practice as well as Global Engagement Lead. Her teaching and research interests lie in medicines access and quality, health emergencies and global health diplomacy. She serves as a Global Health Advisor & sits on the Board of Trustees of the Commonwealth Pharmacists’ Association since 2017. As a member of the WHO-FIP SF expert working group, Oksana also advises NGOs and start-ups around global health issues such as pharmacy education, access to quality medicines and digital health. In 2015, she launched the “Outbreak of Infectious Disease & Global Citizenship Programme” a multi-disciplinary education initiative at UCL and throughout the ongoing COVID19 pandemic has been a regular contributor in the media. In 2020, Oksana was named one of Britain’s Top 35 Women under 35 by Accenture & Management Today for her work in global health.

Kawaldip Sehmi Chief Executive Officer, International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations (IAPO)

Kawaldip Sehmi has an academic background in public health and law and has a passionate belief in improving access to services through digital health and justice services. As the managing director of an international children’s legal center, he led a team of international lawyers improving the rights of the child, including right to health, by applying Remote Courts. He has also served as the chief executive officer of an international mental health charity, specializing in niche mental health services supporting young people and adults with complex mental health, personality disorder and substance misuse problems access telehealth and digital mental health services. Kawaldip is a passionate advocate of the WHO’s human rights based approaches to health and strengthening of the institutional, legislative, policy, practice and standards framework. He believes this support is needed to achieve the health goals outlined in the Sustainable Developmental Goals 2030, specifically in SDG 3.8,.to ensure universal health coverage for all.

Dr. Yaw Asare-Aboagye Head of Regional Clinical Operations at Drugs for Neglected Tropical Diseases Initiative (DNDi)

Dr. Yaw Asare-Aboagye (DVM, MS) is the Regional Clinical Operations Head for Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), Africa Regional Office where he leads the Clinical Operations and Biometrics functions in the Nairobi, Kenya office.In this role, Yaw is responsible for leading a team of researchers working to develop treatments for tropical diseases that have been largely ignored by the major pharmaceutical companies.
Prior to joining DNDi, Yaw was an Executive Director for Global Clinical Sciences at Biomarin, a biotechnology company specializing in the development of drugs for ultra-rare diseases. At Biomarin, Yaw was part of a team that successfully received approval for four drugs globally in six years. Yaw has also held leadership positions for some of the largest pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies starting with Bristol Myers Squibb, Immunex, Amgen and United Therapeutics. Yaw is currently a lifetime trustee of the Ashesi University Foundation, a Seattle based foundation that supports the Ashesi University in Ghana. Yaw holds the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree (DVM) from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria and an MS degree in Biometrics from Louisiana State University School of Public Health, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

Dr Eva Njenga Chair of the Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance of Kenya (NCDAK)

Dr. Eva Njenga, MBS, is a well-respected and world-renowned endocrinologist with a vast experience and knowledge in tropical medicine, Social Medicine and Medical Anthropology. She holds a MMed from the University of Nairobi, has a certificate in Endocrinology from the University of New Castle Upon Tyne-UK and is a Social Medicine and Medical Anthropology Fellow at Harvard University. She has been practicing medicine for over 30 years and has worked in several hospitals in the country offering specialized care in diabetes and endocrine conditions management. She has also been a lecturer at the University of Nairobi’s School of Medicine for more than 10 years and continues to share her expertise with post-graduate students in various private university hospitals in the country.
She Co- Chairs the NCD Intersectoral Coordinating Committee, sits on the advisory Board of Diabetes Africa, is an advisor of the African Research Universities Alliance, and is a member of the Centre of Excellence in Non-Communicable Diseases, the Kenya Diabetes Study Group, Kenya Medical Association Kenya Association of Physicians among others.
She is also the overall team leader of the Ministry of Health Technical Team for Mitigation of COVID19 Pandemic and strengthening of Health Systems for UHC in the 47 Counties in Kenya. She has been very instrumental in matters healthcare in the country, so much so that her exemplary work and commitment has seen her gain recognition and conferred State Honours by HE President Uhuru Kenyatta for her distinguished and outstanding services to the nation and was bestowed upon the title, Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear (MBS).
Dr. Njenga cares very much about people’s health and is a passionate NCDs champion

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