USAID partners with Swipha to combat child mortality in West Africa
NIGERIA—The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has partnered with Swiss Pharma (Swipha) to reach a significant milestone that promises to save lives and improve healthcare across Nigeria and West Africa.
Through this collaborative effort, Swipha has become the first pharmaceutical company in Nigeria and West Africa to receive World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification for two essential medicines.
This accomplishment highlights the commitment of both USAID and Swipha to enhancing healthcare services and expanding access to life-saving medications throughout the region.
For many years, Nigeria has grappled with significant challenges in the procurement of essential medicines.
High costs, coupled with the inability of several local pharmaceutical companies to meet international standards, have created barriers to accessing quality healthcare.
These challenges have disproportionately affected vulnerable populations, including children and pregnant women, who are often most in need of life-saving treatments.
However, with the technical assistance and support provided by USAID, Swipha has not only achieved WHO prequalification but has also become the first pharmaceutical company in Nigeria and West Africa to comply with WHO’s Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.
This certification serves as a powerful endorsement of the quality, safety, and efficacy of Swipha’s pharmaceutical products and manufacturing processes.
One of the newly certified products, pediatric Zinc Sulphate, plays a crucial role in reducing the severity and duration of severe diarrhea, which remains one of the leading causes of mortality among children under five in Nigeria.
Additionally, Swipha’s WHO-certified Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine tablets are essential for preventing malaria during pregnancy, a condition that significantly contributes to child mortality in the country.
In their case, UCL was granted permission to manufacture sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine with amodiaquine (Spaq), a crucial antimalarial medication, which is frequently administered to combat seasonal malaria in children, especially during peak transmission periods such as rainy seasons.
Similarly, this WHO approval indicated that the company’s manufacturing processes and quality control meet international standards and can assist pharmaceutical companies in accessing new markets and attracting major buyers, including donor-driven organisations.
According to Swipha, these new certifications not only reinforce the quality of their products but also allow the company to supply these vital medicines to organizations and governments on a global scale, thereby contributing to improved child health and maternal care across Nigeria, the West African subregion, and beyond.
During a recent visit to the Swipha factory in Lagos, USAID Acting Mission Director Alexis Taylor-Granados praised the collaboration that led to this achievement.
She emphasized that this success is a testament to the power of partnership in improving healthcare in Nigeria.
Taylor-Granados expressed her pride in supporting Swipha in reaching this historic milestone and reaffirmed USAID’s commitment to continuing the partnership to ensure that more quality medicines reach those who need them most, ultimately contributing to building a healthier future for Nigeria.
Sign up to receive our email newsletters with the latest news updates and insights from Africa and the World HERE
Be the first to leave a comment