WAKISO — President Yoweri Museveni is on Friday afternoon expected in Matugga where he will commission the DEI Biopharma manufacturing facility.
The Dei Biopharma, a vaccines development arm of Dei Group, becomes Africa’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturing facility.
It is also the only fully integrated company providing all dosage forms to all types of drugs, chemical, biological, and vaccines.
This website understands that 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 PML Daily that the firm 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.
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, a top official said ahead of commissioning.
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” the official said.
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”.
