The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and the Innovative Pharmaceutical Association of South Africa (IPASA) this week signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance South Africa's objectives to research, develop and, ultimately, commercialise innovative health solutions.

The MoU provides for the parties to cooperate and collaborate through establishing research programmes focusing on communicable and non-communicable diseases – from discovery through preclinical and clinical development.

The MoU is also aimed at building on the resource and infrastructure investment of both the South African government and members of IPASA, creating partnerships that focus on capacity building skills and development across the pharmaceutical value chain to strengthen the research and development (R&D) ecosystem in South Africa; building on leveraging the existing strengths related to precision medicine to improve access to improved precision medicines to South Africa’s diverse population; and creating partnerships to boost pharmaceutical manufacturing in the country.

IPASA, as a voluntary association comprising innovative multinational pharmaceutical companies including Merck, Pfizer, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, GSK, AstraZeneca and others, is committed to advancing R&D activities in South Africa and on the continent, which is aligned to both DSI's and SAMRC’s mandates.

“By working together, we want to deliver innovative and affordable solutions for infectious and non-communicable diseases for our country. This collaboration will build on the already existing successful partnership between the SAMRC and the DSI and will facilitate the development and implementation of a comprehensive programme of interventions across the pharmaceutical development pipeline,” said SAMRC president Professor Glenda Gray.