A collaboration agreement was signed on 14 December between American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Egyptian EVA Pharma. According to the agreement, Lilly will supply its active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for insulin at a significantly reduced price to EVA Pharma. Lilly will also provide a pro-bono technology transfer to enable EVA Pharma to formulate, fill and finish insulin vials and cartridges – establishing the company as a trusted manufacturer of these lifesaving products in Africa.
Lilly seeks to deliver a sustainable supply of high-quality, affordable human and analogue insulin to at least one million people living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes in low to middle-income countries, most of who are in Africa.
The signing ceremony took place at the government headquarters in the New Administrative Capital, and was witnessed by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, along with high-ranking officials from the government and the medical business, as well as the Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in the Egypt Daniel Rubinstein.
Representing EVA Pharma was its CEO Riad Armanious, and Eli Lilly, its President and general manager for the SAMETA (South Asia, Middle East, Turkey, and Africa) region, José Antonio Alas. EVA is expected to start distributing Egyptian-made insulin within 18 months, and to reach about one million people in Africa annually by 2030.
According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus among Egyptians is over 15.2 per cent.
Mr Armanious said that people with Diabetes in low- and middle-income countries face daily challenges in accessing treatment. “We feel blessed to collaborate with the team at Lilly,” Mr Armanious pointed out. “Combining our African reach, state-of-the-art facilities, and Lilly’s deep expertise in diabetes care, we aim to treat at least one million patients by 2030 who otherwise may not have access to life-saving medication.”
On his part, Mr Alas said that this collaboration is part of the Lilly 30×30 initiative, which aims to improve access to quality healthcare for 30 million people living in limited-resource settings, annually, by 2030.
Commenting on the new partnership was Ilya Yuffa, president of Lilly International; he said: “Our new collaboration with EVA Pharma reflects Lilly’s deep commitment to making equitable and affordable access to insulin a reality for people living with diabetes in low- and middle-income countries. This latest initiative from Lilly will empower local manufacturing, finishing and distribution of quality insulin – in Africa – which will transform communities and make life better for people throughout the continent.”
EVA Pharma as it stands today, is headquartered in Cairo and was founded in 1997, although it has had its roots in the Egyptian market since 1917. With more than 4000 employees and 1000 medical representatives, the company develops products that seeks to meet the healthcare needs of people around the world. EVA Pharma exports its products to over 41 countries, including to the European Union.
Headquartered in Indianapolis, Lilly was founded in 1876 by Colonel Eli Lilly, a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that met real needs in an era of unreliable elixirs peddled by questionable characters. His charge to the generations of employees who have followed was this: “Take what you find here and make it better and better.”
Watani International
15 December 2022
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