The Dei Biopharma vaccines plant, an arm of Ugandan firm, Dei Group is Africa’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturing facility and the only fully integrated company providing all dosage forms to all types of drugs, chemical, biological, and vaccines
WAKISO — President Yoweri Museveni is on Friday afternoon expected in Matugga where he will commission the DEI Biopharma manufacturing facility.
The Dei Biopharma vaccines plant, an arm of Ugandan firm, Dei Group is Africa’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturing facility and the only fully integrated company providing all dosage forms to all types of drugs, chemical, biological, and vaccines, according to authorities.
DEI Biopharma is also the only African company now distributing the Covid-19 treatment medicines and getting ready to supply one billion doses of an mRNA vaccine through collaboration with the World Health Organisation.
A top official told this website that DEI Biopharma has resolved all intellectual property issues and supply chain constraints to be the first company to distribute all new medicines against the Covid-19 and antiviral and resistant TB infections.
DEI Group Managing Director, Mr. Matthias Magoola who spoke ahead of the much sought-after commissioning of the facility whose funders include Equity Group of Kenya, indicated that the facility, a toast of Uganda’s science innovation, will produce all of the biologic medicines listed as essential drugs, including filgrastim, erythropoietin, and trastuzumab, among several others, the first such source of biosimilars in Africa.
He said the manufacturing facilities of DEI Biopharma are built on modular platforms sourced from the EU and USA.
“These modules are fully cGMP compliant and allow DEI Biopharma to produce the highest quality products that will reduce the need to import lower quality drugs.
The DEI Biopharma portfolio also includes nutraceuticals starting with the first US-patented alleviation of Parkinson’s disease that will go into distribution within 90 days” he said.
Mr. Magoola noted that the DEI Biopharma technology arrives from the EU and USA with the highest cGMP standards and safety evaluation.
With the commissioning of its vaccines plant, DEI Biopharma is now the most prominent African company that will allow the region to take care of the needs specific to Africa using the most modern drugs and therapies, in addition to the essential traditional medicines, filling the most direly needed requirements of African health.
A team of experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO) earlier commended DEI Biopharma for coming up with the manufacturing facility, saying it provides a base for Africa to effectively respond to Covid-19 and other viruses using traditional medicine therapies.
The team, including WHO’s Regional Expert Advisory Committee on Traditional Medicine for COVID-19 Response (REACT) visited the facility on March 7.
Speaking after completing the tour of the facility with the WHO team of experts, Dr. Monica Musenero Masanza, the Minister of Science, Technology & Innovation — Office of the President of Uganda commended the DEI Biopharma team for carrying the flag of the African resilience so high, and providing a solution that will lead research and manufacturing of traditional medicines, to serve Africa and humanity.
The WHO team leader Prof. Joseph Okeibunor said the team comprising of different experts was impressed by work done by the DEI Biopharma in setting up the facility and the plans to lead Africa in traditional medicines research.
The WHO promised to support the initiative within the mandate of the organisation and its responsibility to member states.
The DEI Group under the leadership of Mr. Magoola, a professional chemist has developed a multi-billion biological drugs and mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility.
The construction was launched by President Museveni on July 6, 2021, and its development is part of the efforts to help making Africa self-sustaining in healthcare, under the theme “making a giant leap”.
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