Accelerating Health Product Innovation in sub-Saharan Africa

Masum, Hassan; Daar, Abdallah S.; Al-Bader, Sara; Shah, Ronak N.; Сингер, Петер

doi:10.1162/itgg.2007.2.4.129

Cited by 18 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…This aligns with ideas that have been discussed of designing the character of investment capital to match a combination of financial, health, and development goals [12,13]. More appropriate types of investment could be combined with harnessing educated diaspora populations, as India and China have done so successfully.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 60%

Venture capital on a shoestring: Bioventures’ pioneering life sciences fund in South Africa

Masum

Сингер

2010

BMC Int Health Hum Rights

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BackgroundSince 2000, R&D financing for global health has increased significantly, with innovative proposals for further increases. However, although venture capital (VC) funding has fostered life sciences businesses across the developed world, its application in the developing world and particularly in Africa is relatively new. Is VC feasible in the African context, to foster the development and application of local health innovation?As the most industrially advanced African nation, South Africa serves as a test case for life sciences venture funding. This paper analyzes Bioventures, the first VC company focused on life sciences investment in sub-Saharan Africa. The case study method was used to analyze the formation, operation, and investment support of Bioventures, and to suggest lessons for future health venture funds in Africa that aim to develop health-oriented innovations.DiscussionThe modest financial success of Bioventures in challenging circumstances has demonstrated a proof of concept that life sciences VC can work in the region. Beyond providing funds, support given to investees included board participation, contacts, and strategic services. Bioventures had to be proactive in finding and supporting good health R&D.Due to the fund’s small size, overhead and management expenses were tightly constrained. Bioventures was at times unable to make follow-on investments, being forced instead to give up equity to raise additional capital, and to sell health investments earlier than might have been optimal. With the benefit of hindsight, the CFO of Bioventures felt that partnering with a larger fund might benefit similar future funds. Being better linked to market intelligence and other entrepreneurial investors was also seen as an unmet need.SummaryBioVentures has learned lessons about how the traditional VC model might evolve to tackle health challenges facing Africa, including how to raise funds and educate investors; how to select, value, and support investments; and how to understand the balance between financial and social returns. The experience of the fund suggests that future health funds targeting ailments of the poor might require investors that accept health benefits as part of their overall “return.” Learning from Bioventures may help develop health innovation funding for sub-Saharan African that has combined health, financial, and economic development impacts.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 60%

Venture capital on a shoestring: Bioventures’ pioneering life sciences fund in South Africa

Masum

Сингер

2010

BMC Int Health Hum Rights

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“…A critical mass of competent investigators and R&D infrastructure exists in some developing countries, including countries in Africa. With additional new capacity being built by several agencies, more trained investigators will become available in the coming years [1] , [41] . In the past 2 years, several postdoctoral fellows from developing countries have been trained in industry or academia located in both the North and South as part of the drug discovery network activities.…”

Section: Evolution Of Drug Discovery For Neglected Diseasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing Drug Innovation for Neglected Diseases—Criteria for Lead Progression

et al. 2009

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The current drug R&D pipeline for most neglected diseases remains weak, and unlikely to support registration of novel drug classes that meet desired target product profiles in the short term. This calls for sustained investment as well as greater emphasis in the risky upstream drug discovery. Access to technologies, resources, and strong management as well as clear compound progression criteria are factors in the successful implementation of any collaborative drug discovery effort. We discuss how some of these factors have impacted drug discovery for tropical diseases within the past four decades, and highlight new opportunities and challenges through the virtual North–South drug discovery network as well as the rationale for greater participation of institutions in developing countries in product innovation. A set of criteria designed to facilitate compound progression from screening hits to drug candidate selection is presented to guide ongoing efforts.

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“…Uganda could capitalize on these existing methods as a starting point for building partnerships that could lead to collaboration. In addition, as noted in our previous work, life sciences innovation centers are another mechanism for focusing linkages around innovation and product development [ 23 - 25 ]. Developing this mechanism could facilitate funding flows, particularly from foreign sources.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Science-based health innovation in Uganda: creative strategies for applying research to development

Kamunyori

Al-Bader

Sewankambo

et al. 2010

BMC Int Health Hum Rights

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BackgroundUganda has a long history of health research, but still faces critical health problems. It has made a number of recent moves towards building science and technology capacity which could have an impact on local health, if innovation can be fostered and harnessed.MethodsQualitative case study research methodology was used. Data were collected through reviews of academic literature and policy documents and through open-ended, face-to-face interviews with 30 people from across the science-based health innovation system, including government officials, researchers in research institutes and universities, entrepreneurs, international donors, and non-governmental organization representatives.ResultsUganda has a range of institutions influencing science-based health innovation, with varying degrees of success. However, the country still lacks a coherent mechanism for effectively coordinating STI policy among all the stakeholders. Classified as a least developed country, Uganda has opted for exemptions from the TRIPS intellectual property protection regime that include permitting parallel importation and providing for compulsory licenses for pharmaceuticals. Uganda is unique in Africa in taking part in the Millennium Science Initiative (MSI), an ambitious though early-stage $30m project, funded jointly by the World Bank and Government of Uganda, to build science capacity and encourage entrepreneurship through funding industry-research collaboration. Two universities – Makerere and Mbarara – stand out in terms of health research, though as yet technology development and commercialization is weak. Uganda has several incubators which are producing low-tech products, and is beginning to move into higher-tech ones like diagnostics. Its pharmaceutical industry has started to create partnerships which encourage innovation.ConclusionsScience-based health product innovation is in its early stages in Uganda, as are policies for guiding its development. Nevertheless, there is political will for the development of STI in Uganda, demonstrated through personal initiatives of the President and the government’s willingness to invest heavily for the long term in support of STI through the Millennium Science Initiative. Activities to support technology transfer and private-public collaboration have been put in motion; these need to be monitored, coordinated, and learned from. In the private sector, there are examples of incremental innovation to address neglected diseases driven by entrepreneurial individuals and South-South collaboration. Lessons can be learned from their experience that will help support Ugandan health innovation.

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Accelerating Health Product Innovation in sub-Saharan Africa

Cited by 18 publications

References 14 publications

Venture capital on a shoestring: Bioventures’ pioneering life sciences fund in South Africa

Venture capital on a shoestring: Bioventures’ pioneering life sciences fund in South Africa

Advancing Drug Innovation for Neglected Diseases—Criteria for Lead Progression

Science-based health innovation in Uganda: creative strategies for applying research to development

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