The Sanofi laboratory is committed to producing 30 drugs at cost price for disadvantaged countries
Among the countries targeted by Sanofi's measure are Mozambique and Zambia.
Here, patients wait for treatment in Lusaka, Zambia, January 15, 2018. AFP - SALIM DAWOOD
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
The giant Sanofi promises to market 30 drugs at cost price for the most disadvantaged countries, with its new brand Impact, launched on Monday July 4.
The French pharmaceutical group claims to want to “
improve access to quality medicines for underserved populations
” and Africa would be the first target of the initiative.
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Insulin, cancer drugs, antimalarials, among others: Sanofi has chosen molecules considered essential by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be sold under the Impact brand, without benefit to the 40 poorest countries on the planet.
This without any difference in quality, assures Josep Catlla, Director of Institutional Affairs, responsible for Sanofi's social commitment:
“
We registered a new brand to prevent
counterfeits
, but the medicine and the active ingredient are the same, so it's the same quality as the products you currently find in pharmacies in France.
»
The African continent is the first target of this initiative, in particular Mozambique, Zambia, Niger and Zimbabwe, but also Syria and Asian countries including Cambodia and Burma.
“
It is very common for people today, in sub-Saharan Africa in particular, to have access to prescriptions but not to the drugs prescribed to them
,” explains Pierre Mendiharat, who works on access to drugs at Doctors Without Borders.
And therefore, any initiative is welcome.
But afterwards, once again, you have to look at all the constraints.
»
For Nathalie Coulinet, an economist specializing in health issues, this initiative is part of the pharmaceutical giant's marketing strategy: "
It's a multi-cushion billiard game, because
you restore your image
, you avoid competition, you also avoid the counterfeit.
»
According to Sanofi, the first drug deliveries should be launched in the coming months, depending on drug registration deadlines.
Last May, it was
the competitor Pfizer which undertook to sell at cost price
some of its medicines and vaccines to 45 poor countries, in particular their vaccine against Covid-19.
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Also to listen: What solutions to improve the health system in Africa?
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