360disruption

Why Africa’s Biotech Future May Be Built, Not Invented** Over the past weeks, I’ve been looking closely at something that doesn’t get nearly enough attention in global health and development conversations:  distressed biotech and pharmaceutical assets . In the United States and Europe, there are dozens of biotech and pharma companies sitting in various states of distress — not because the science failed, but because capital cycles shifted, timelines stretched, or strategic priorities changed. Some are in restructuring. Some in bankruptcy. Others are quietly being carved up for parts. What’s striking is this:  many of these assets still work . They have IP. They have data. They have GMP-grade processes, equipment, or know-how. They are not dead. They are simply  orphaned . At the same time, Africa — a continent of more than 1.4 billion people — remains overwhelmingly dependent on imports for essential medicines, biologics, diagnostics, and APIs. Not because of a lack of ta...

  Recently, I came across an article in  Nature Health  Springer Nature  titled  “Six Ways to Empower African Research and Development for Health.”  The piece, written by  Nicki Tiffin  et all, is thoughtful, timely, and important. It articulates — clearly and credibly — many of the structural challenges holding back African-led health innovation, particularly in light of recent disruptions in global health funding. As someone who has been deeply involved in building health execution platforms across Africa and the GCC, I found myself agreeing with the article to a large extent. In fact, much of what the authors advocate for closely mirrors conversations we have been having for years with governments, institutions, and private-sector partners. That said, while the article gets the “what” largely right, several critical “how” and “who” questions remain underdeveloped. And those nuances matter — because they are often the difference between progress...