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Tag: medicines

  • Fixing Nigeria’s Supply Chains Could Unlock Billions and Transform the Economy — RBSN

    Fixing Nigeria’s Supply Chains Could Unlock Billions and Transform the Economy — RBSN

    A new report by Rome Business School Nigeria has sounded a strong admonition that Nigeria’s economic growth, food security and industrial future are being held back by weak and fragmented supply chains, even as it highlights enormous opportunities if long-standing challenges are fixed.

    Released in January 2026, the report describes Supply Chain Management (SCM) as the often unseen system that keeps the country running, connecting farms to markets, factories to ports, hospitals to suppliers and consumers to essential goods. According to the report, addressing persistent inefficiencies in Nigeria’s supply chains could add between 2 and 3 per cent to annual GDP growth, while easing inflationary pressure and creating jobs across key sectors of the economy.

    The report highlights that supply chains are no longer just about moving goods from one place to another, but about shaping national development and everyday quality of life.

    “Supply chains are the backbone of modern economies. “For Nigeria, strengthening them means better access to food, medicines and jobs, stronger industries and a reduced dependence on oil. When supply chains fail, ordinary people feel it immediately; when they work, growth becomes inclusive and sustainable.”

    The report traces Nigeria’s supply chain journey from the colonial era, when economic activity was largely limited to exporting raw materials such as cocoa, palm oil and minerals, to the oil-driven expansion of the 1970s that reshaped trade and logistics around petroleum. While oil and gas still generate about 90 per cent of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings, the report notes that these same supply chains remain highly vulnerable to theft, vandalism and bureaucratic delays, costing the country billions of naira each year.

    Beyond oil, Nigeria exports more than $1.5 billion worth of cocoa and sesame annually, yet much of the value is lost due to poor logistics, limited local processing and weak integration between farmers, processors and exporters. According to the report, these gaps continue to prevent the country from fully benefiting from its vast agricultural potential.

    Infrastructure remains one of the most serious obstacles. Only a small portion of Nigeria’s 195,000 kilometres of roads are paved, driving up transport costs by as much as 40 per cent and pushing final consumer prices up by nearly 30 per cent. Congested ports, unreliable power supply and poor cold storage facilities result in massive post-harvest losses, with up to 40 per cent of perishable crops spoiling before reaching the market.

    Security challenges further complicate the movement of goods. Banditry in the North and vandalism in the Niger Delta frequently disrupt supply routes, endangering drivers and logistics workers while increasing the cost of doing business. The report also points to the 2023 removal of fuel subsidies as a major shock, noting that the resulting spike in transport and logistics costs has strained the supply of essential goods and contributed to higher prices for consumers.

    While the COVID-19 pandemic pushed many businesses to adopt digital tools such as e-procurement and online inventory systems, the report finds that Nigeria still struggles to keep pace with advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain. High implementation costs, poor broadband coverage and a shortage of skilled professionals have limited adoption, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises.

    The consequences are felt most sharply in agriculture and healthcare. Smallholder farmers, who produce the majority of Nigeria’s food, often lose significant portions of their harvest because poor roads and storage prevent timely access to processors and markets. In the health sector, inconsistent supply chains have led to frequent shortages of essential medicines, including malaria drugs, particularly in northern parts of the country. Weak cold-chain systems and power outages mean that vaccines and other temperature-sensitive products are regularly damaged before reaching patients.

    Despite these challenges, the report paints a hopeful picture of what is possible. It identifies the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a major opportunity, projecting that intra-African trade could grow by more than 20 per cent if countries improve cooperation on logistics, customs processes and infrastructure. It also points to emerging trends such as city-based warehousing, electric delivery vehicles and greener logistics models as ways to cut costs, reduce emissions and support the rapid growth of e-commerce.

    Prof. Antonio Ragusa, Dean and Founder of Rome Business School Nigeria said Nigeria stands at a crossroads, where targeted reforms and investments could turn long-standing weaknesses into competitive advantages.

    “Nigeria has the resources, the market and the talent,” he said. “What is needed now is coordinated action to modernise infrastructure, embrace technology and build resilient supply chains that work for businesses and citizens alike.”

    The Rome Business School Nigeria report concludes that strengthening supply chain management is not just a business imperative but a national development priority. With the right policies, private investment and regional collaboration, it says Nigeria can unlock new growth, improve food and health security and build a more resilient economy for the future.

  • WHO Pre-Qualifies First Mpox Vaccine, Recommends Single Dose and ‘Off-Label’ Use for Children

    WHO Pre-Qualifies First Mpox Vaccine, Recommends Single Dose and ‘Off-Label’ Use for Children

    Bavarian Nordic’s MVA-BN vaccine, has become the first mpox vaccine to be added to the World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification (PQ) list, enabling its use globally.

    The WHO has also recommended that single doses be given in supply-constrained outbreak situations instead of the usual two doses, and “off label” use for children as the vaccine is not yet approved for under-18s.

    WHO Prequalification (PQ) and Emergency Use Listing (EUL) are mechanisms used to evaluate quality, safety and efficacy of medical products, such as vaccines, diagnostics and medicines, and product suitability for use in low- and middle-income countries. 

    “PQ is based on the review of full set of quality, safety and efficacy data on medical products, including risk management plan and programmatic suitability,” according to a Friday media release from WHO.

    “WHO’s assessment for prequalification is based on information submitted by the manufacturer, Bavarian Nordic, and review by the European Medicines Agency, the regulatory agency of record for this vaccine,” the WHO added.

    A month ago, WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) as the outbreak intensified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighbouring countries.

    Since the global outbreak in 2022, over 120 countries have confirmed more than 103 000 cases. 

    This year, there have been 25 237 suspected and confirmed cases and 723 deaths from different outbreaks in 14 African countries (8 September 2024). Morocco reported its first case on Thursday.

    ‘Off label’ for children

    A child infected with mpox: since smallpox vaccinations were discontinued, children may be even more vulnerable.

    “This first prequalification of a vaccine against mpox is an important step in our fight against the disease, both in the context of the current outbreaks in Africa, and in future,” said Tedros. 

    “We now need urgent scale up in procurement, donations and rollout to ensure equitable access to vaccines where they are needed most, alongside other public health tools, to prevent infections, stop transmission and save lives.”

    The MVA-BN vaccine (marketed as Jynneous and Imvamune) is administered in people over the age of 18 as a two-dose injection given four weeks apart. After prior cold storage, the vaccine can be kept at 2–8°C for up to eight weeks.

    Although, MVA-BN is not yet registered for use in children, the WHO’s head of Research and Development, Dr Ana-Maria Restrepo, told a recent media briefing that the DRC could use the vaccine “off label” for children, and that there were a number of studies – including clinical studies – that had established its efficacy in children. The majority of mpox cases in DRC are in children.

    The WHO also noted that it could be used “off-label” for pregnant and immuno-compromised people “in outbreak settings where the benefits of vaccination outweigh the potential risks”.

    WHO has also recommended single-dose use in supply-constrained outbreak situations. Available data shows that a single-dose MVA-BN vaccine given before exposure has an estimated 76% effectiveness whereas the two-dose schedule offers an estimated 82% protection.

    Help for national regulators

    “The WHO prequalification of the MVA-BN vaccine will help accelerate ongoing procurement of the mpox vaccines by governments and international agencies such as Gavi and Unicef to help communities on the frontlines of the ongoing emergency in Africa and beyond,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for Access to Medicines and Health Products. 

    “The decision can also help national regulatory authorities to fast-track approvals, ultimately increasing access to quality-assured mpox vaccine products,” he added.

    The WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization reviewed all available evidence and recommended the use of MVA-BN vaccine in mpox outbreaks for people “at high risk of exposure”. 

    Bavarian Nordic CEO, Paul Chaplin said that his company is “highly encouraged” by the PQ, “which is a testament to the strengths of our vaccine and the quality of data we have generated through numerous studies, as well as in real life”. 

    Company aims for two million doses in 2024

    “Bavarian Nordic has recently filed a submission to the European Medicines Agency to extend the approval to adolescents 12-17 years of age and is also working with partners, including the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in children 2-12 years of age,” according to a company statement.

    “While we continue to work with WHO and other regulatory bodies to expand the approval to include children, who are severely impacted by the mpox outbreak, we are pleased that this approval will help accelerate access to our vaccine for communities across the entire African continent and we applaud the WHO for their swift review and action to make this happen,” added Chaplin.

    Bavarian Nordic has undertaken to focus its production efforts on MVA-BN, which will enable it to produce two million doses by the end of the year, and potentially 13 million by the end of 2025, the company reported on Thursday.

    Dr Rogerio Gaspar, WHO Director for Regulation and Prequalification, said the global body was “progressing with prequalification and emergency use listing procedures with manufacturers of two other mpox vaccines: LC-16 and ACAM2000. We have also received six expressions of interest for mpox diagnostic products for emergency use listing so far”. 

    The LC-16 vaccine, produced by Japan’s KM Biologics, is licensed for use in children

  • Remedial Health raises $12 million to deliver financial services for neighbourhood pharmacies and drive deeper growth in Nigeria

    Remedial Health raises $12 million to deliver financial services for neighbourhood pharmacies and drive deeper growth in Nigeria

    Remedial Health, a healthtech startup that develops solutions to make Africa’s pharmaceutical value chain more efficient, has secured $12 million in an equity and debt funding round to deepen the penetration of its services in Nigeria and support the delivery of targeted financial services to drive business growth across the country’s pharmaceutical sector.

    The $8 million Series A equity funding round was led by US-based venture capital firm, QED Investors and co-led by Ventures Platform, who have now invested in Remedial Health at every funding round since the pre-seed stage. This investment also represents Ventures Platform’s first Series A investment. Ycombinator, Tencent and Gaingels also invested after participating in previous rounds. The $4 million debt funding was led by a consortium of local and international financial institutions.

    Across Africa, 85 percent of retail medicine purchases happen at micro-enterprises, typically neighbourhood pharmacies) and Proprietary Patent Medicine Vendors (PPMVs). For store owners, 90 percent of their wholesale purchases happen in open markets that are largely unfit for consumables and medicines. Store owners also have to endure expensive and time-consuming weekly order cycles that typically amount to two working days to access the inventory they need to stock their shelves. These realities, combined with a predominantly paper-based approach to managing operations, present various challenges that make it difficult to maximise profitability.

    Remedial Health operates at the intersection of healthcare, supply chain management, technology and financial services, delivering the digital procurement infrastructure to power effective healthcare distribution for Africa’s 1.2 million pharmacies. Starting in Nigeria, Remedial Health has built an effective operating system for pharmaceutical buyers and suppliers, working with more than 300 manufacturers and serving more than 5,000 hospitals, pharmacies and PPMVs across 34 of Nigeria’s 36 states, with regional hubs to enable a seamless experience across the country. 

    Store owners can access more than 8,000 vetted products via the mobile app, with same-day delivery and inventory financing to minimise cash-flow friction for routine orders and maximise sales opportunities. The startup also provides facility financing, payment solutions and inventory management solutions that makes it easier for store owners to run their business more efficiently and profitably. For pharmaceutical manufacturers, Remedial Health provides an effective route-to-market for their products, as well as data-driven insights into local markets that can be leveraged for more effective planning and decision making.

    This new funding will enable Remedial Health to deepen the reach of these services across Nigeria and deliver more game changing solutions to drive greater efficiency across the pharmaceutical value chain. 

    According to Samuel Okwuada, CEO and co-founder of Remedial Health, “We are delighted to have raised these funds, particularly with the wider context of the global funding downturn and the wide range of economic headwinds in Nigeria. Our continued growth has put us in a strong position to deliver our mission of creating a tech-enabled, pharmacy-centred healthcare network and we are looking forward to leveraging these funds to achieve more success.”

    Gbenga Ajayi, Partner, Head of Africa, QED Investors, said “The success that Remedial Health has enjoyed to date is an indication of the market gap that exists, and the value they provide in providing effective holistic services to thousands of pharmacies across Nigeria. QED is particularly excited about the embedded financial services opportunities within the vertical — the ability to provide payments, embedded lending and other fintech solutions to this underserved but very crucial sector. The Remedial Health team is perfectly positioned to solve this problem because of its unique positioning as a partner across the entire pharmaceutical value chain and the unique backgrounds of the founders as both seasoned phama operators and technology professionals. We are very excited to be on this journey and to support this next phase of the company and to bring our fintech DNA to bear in what is an already positive growth journey.”

    Kola Aina, Founding Partner of Ventures Platform, said “We are incredibly proud to have been part of Remedial Health’s journey since the earliest phase of the company’s development. This partnership exemplifies our mission to support  category leaders before they become obvious. Remedial Health’s dedication to improving Nigeria’s pharmaceutical value chain is critical  and their success in securing this $12 million funding demonstrates their remarkable growth and the management’s tenacity over the years. Our investment in this round represents our continued belief in their mission to deliver financial services to neighbourhood pharmacies and drive deeper growth in the pharmaceutical sector.”