By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
South African President
Cyril Ramaphosa has toured the FuturePharma facility at the Council for
Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria as the country seeks to
strengthen local pharmaceutical production and preparedness for future health
emergencies.
Ramaphosa was accompanied by
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Professor Blade Nzimande and
Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi on a guided tour of the facility.
FuturePharma is designed to
bridge the gap between promising laboratory research and the development,
scale-up and commercialisation of pharmaceutical technologies. It provides
researchers, innovators and industry partners with specialised infrastructure
and expertise to advance technologies towards manufacturing.
The facility is also
expected to support local production of active pharmaceutical ingredients
(APIs) and medicines, reducing reliance on imports and strengthening security
of supply.
Its development is intended
to enhance South Africa’s preparedness for future pandemics and health
emergencies by strengthening domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity.
