Towards Continuous Flow Manufacturing of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients in Africa: A Perspective

Abstract

Africa has a double burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases that account for 26 % of the global disease burden. Pharmaceutical medicines are a critical component in treating these diseases, however, only 3 % of the global drug production is carried out in Africa, which results in limited access to medicines. The local active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing industry is not well-established, Africa hugely depends on imports. As such, the need for establishing local API manufacturing capability is obvious. In this review, we highlight the efforts and hurdles in the local manufacture of APIs and recommend sustainable ways to establishing local continuous flow API manufacturing capability. Continuous flow manufacture is an innovative and enabling technology platform which is increasingly impacting pharmaceutical industry. Africa can leverage continuous flow technology to establish a state-of-the-art, sustainable, competitive local API manufacturing industry. Although this approach is noble, it is not without its challenges. Some of the current challenges for the full-scale implementation of continuous flow manufacturing in Africa include the lack of pilot scale or demonstration facilities to bridge the chasm between research and commercialization, inadequate funding, prohibitive infrastructure costs and scarcity of skilled local talents with knowledge and expertise in modern manufacturing techniques. To put things into perspective, the review also showcases all examples where continuous flow technology has been successfully applied in API syntheses within the African continent exclusively. The grand vision is to contribute towards the transformation of Africa into an innovation-led, technology-based and knowledge-based continent through the adoption of cutting edge innovative and enabling technologies that can transform the local pharmaceutical industry into a responsive industry that meets the continental health security, social, economic and political needs pursuant to African Union’s Agenda 2063, Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3) and the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) goals.