Strides Pharma Kenya based arm bags WHO certification to produce antimalarial drug

New Delhi: Strides Pharma Science has recently announced that Universal Corporation Ltd (UCL), a Kenya-based subsidiary of the company has received a quality certification from the World Health Organization (WHO) to produce key antimalarial drug used to prevent infection in pregnant women and children.

"Called prequalification, this certification will enable Kenyan manufacturer UCL to support regional efforts to combat malaria through local production of high-quality sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP)," the company stated in a release.

UCL's pre-qualification was achieved with funding from the global health agency Unitaid and support from MMV.

Pre-qualification is a service provided by WHO to assess the quality, safety, and efficacy of medicinal products.

Quality assurance of UCL's Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine product Wiwal opens a route for procurement by global scale-up partners that will improve access and help strengthen Africa's ability to combat endemic diseases.

"Unitaid welcomes the certification of UCL to produce this quality-assured antimalarial medicine in Africa, where about 95% of all illness and death from malaria occurs. Reinforcing local production of medicines where they are needed most is critical to building stronger and more resilient health responses," said Dr. Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid.

Young children and pregnant women are among the most vulnerable to the burden of malaria, with children under five accounting for 80% of all malaria deaths in Africa. Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine is a generally well-tolerated, effective, and affordable medicine used to prevent malaria, yet adequate delivery and scale-up of these interventions are hampered in part by inadequate and unstable supply and, until now, have completely relied on imported or poor-quality drugs.

"UCL is committed to supplying the African continent with quality medicines that are most needed by the people who live here. We are not only the first pharmaceutical company to receive pre-qualification of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in Africa, but one of only five manufacturers in Africa to have received this quality certification for any product. We're filling a much-needed gap," said Perviz Dhanani, Founder and Managing Director of UCL.

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