Unitaid partners with USP to expand resilient production of essential medicines in Africa, for Africa

With local partners, the MedSuRe Africa project will foster sustainable, cost-competitive and quality production of medicines for malaria, HIV/AIDS, and maternal health

21 August 2025 - Unitaid announced today a US $35.5 million investment to strengthen sustainable Africa-based production of critical medicines used for the prevention and treatment of malaria, HIV/AIDS, and post-partum hemorrhage (PPH) through the Medicines Supply Resilience Africa (MedSuRe Africa) project. Working in partnership with local and regional organizations, the MedSuRe Africa project will bring reliable, resilient, and quality-assured production of life-saving medicines closer to where they are needed most.

Africa accounts for an outsized burden of illness and deaths due to malaria, HIV/AIDS, and pregnancy-related causes, including PPH, conditions that are largely preventable and treatable with timely access to quality-assured medicines. However, consistent access to these lifesaving medicines remains a challenge across many parts of Africa, in part due to limited regional manufacturing capacity and an over-reliance on imported medicines.

"By investing in regional production of diagnostics and treatments, we are putting African manufacturers, institutions and communities at the centre of long-term solutions," said Dr. Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid. "Regional manufacturing is key to advancing equitable access and ensuring countries can meet their own health needs without relying on distant suppliers."

The MedSuRe Africa project aims to address gaps in regional manufacturing and strengthen the enabling environment to improve access to medicines that can prevent and treat malaria, HIV, and PPH. Working with local partners Market Access Africa and Maisha Meds along with Medicines for All Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), MedSuRe Africa is led by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), with additional collaboration from Medicines Patent Pool and Health 4 Development.

"Creating resiliency and reducing vulnerabilities in the supply chain is critical to improve patient access and promote global health security," said Ronald T. Piervincenzi, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of USP. "We are proud to partner with Unitaid on this effort, building on USP's decades-long legacy of strengthening pharmaceutical production and supply in Africa."

Taking a holistic approach, MedSuRe Africa will implement solutions across the value chain to enhance the regional production capacity while improving the enabling environment for manufacturing in ways that are cost-competitive and climate smart. As critical component of these efforts, MedSuRe will work with regional and local institutions as well as community partners to improve market dynamics by fostering stronger procurement, regulatory, and financing mechanisms for African-made products.

MedSuRe Project Director, Dr. Perrer Tosso adds, "This project comes at a critical juncture for Africa's manufacturing efforts. This kind of catalytic investment is essential to unleash the full potential of Africa's pharmaceutical sector to be able to respond to local needs, reduce preventable illnesses, and bolster health security across the continent."

About Unitaid
Unitaid saves lives by making new health products affordable and available in low- and middle-income countries. Collaborating with partners, Unitaid identifies innovative treatments, tackles market barriers, and quickly delivers solutions to those in need. Since 2006, Unitaid has unlocked over 100 health products, addressing HIV, TB, malaria, women's and children's health, and pandemic preparedness. Every year, these products benefit more than 300 million people. Unitaid is a hosted partnership of the World Health Organization.

About USP
USP is an independent scientific organization that collaborates with the world's top experts in health and science to develop quality resources and standards for medicines, dietary supplements, and food ingredients. Through our resources, standards, advocacy and education, USP helps increase the availability of quality medicines, supplements and foods for billions of people worldwide.  

Media contacts

• Unitaid: Kyle Wilkinson, Communications Officer, Unitaid +41 79 445 17 45 [email protected]
• USP: [email protected]