Museveni lobbies for pharmaceutical collaborations with Americans at US-Africa Leader’s Summit

President Yoweri Museveni has asked the United States of America (USA) to collaborate with Africans to produce vaccines and pharmaceuticals for the improvement of global health.

The Ugandan president said collaboration between the USA and Africa will enable the world to get cheaper medicines and vaccines.  He was Tuesday speaking at the US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington.

“In our research for vaccines development, we found that we need 17 input chemicals and reagents, including the one known as Beta-propio-lactone,” the president said adding that his scientists told him that this was from cassava that is easily produced in Uganda.

“It is not correct to produce unaffordable medicines on account of using expensive inputs when countries like Uganda can produce those inputs cheaply,” he further added.

In the areas of pharmaceuticals and vaccines, President Museveni said that it is not correct to continue with the present arrangement where, in the global share of pharmaceutical production of $ 1.42 trillion, Africa’s share is only $ 16 billion.

He said Uganda and Africa are better placed to produce many of the pharmaceuticals on account of the plants that we have in our area.

“During the Corona-19 pandemic, one of our Professors, Professor Patrick Ogwang, crossmatched an ancient anti-viral plant product that our people in the North-East of Uganda (Teso), have been using since time immemorial against measles, caused by the virus rubeola, with the treatment for Covid-19 and it saved so many lives.

“Uganda, with a population of over 43 million, had 170,694 cases of Corona-19 and we lost 3,632 people. You very well know what happened in other parts of the World.

“We are also working on developing all the types of vaccines needed for humans and for livestock. Our Scientists have, for instance, discovered an anti-tick vaccine,” the President revealed.