Novartis, Sandoz demonstrate pivotal impact of public-private partnerships to strengthen healthcare sustainability in Egypt

Posted on : Wednesday , 13th July 2022

Egypt - Novartis Egypt, together with Sandoz Egypt, its division for generics and biosimilars, partnered with health authorities and industry stakeholders to support the success of Africa Health ExCon, the region’s first all-encompassing platform to position the continent as a hub for health innovation and trade.

Organized by the Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement (UPA), Africa Health ExCon was held under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi between 5-7 June, bringing together the region’s key stakeholders to lay the blueprint for progress in healthcare, transforming pledges into action.

“Driven by our commitment towards patients, Novartis Egypt is incredibly proud of its long-standing collaboration with the Egyptian government and healthcare authorities. As a global healthcare leader vested in reimagining medicine, we believe that only via effective public-private collaboration can we harness our cumulative strengths to drive sustainable value for people and systems,” said Jamal Habash, Novartis Egypt CPO and Country President.

“The Egyptian healthcare system has achieved revolutionary progress and we are privileged to support this ongoing transformation through pivotal partnership initiatives reshaping the country’s healthcare ecosystem and paving the way to realizing Egypt Vision 2030. Our three divisions helped transform the lives of over 10 million Egyptian patients across multiple therapeutic areas including cardiovascular disease (CVD), cell and gene therapy, diabetes, respiratory, and bone and pain and we ceaselessly work with healthcare authorities to accelerate access to innovation. We continue to collaborate with the anchor presidential 100 Million Health campaign with a special focus on CVD, the number one killer worldwide, and we are steadfast in our commitment to fight atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in partnership with all stakeholders to ensure that every patient receives the treatment they need.” he added.

“’Leaving no one behind’ is at the core of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Egypt – as part of its Vision 2030 – is committed to building partnerships grounded on common objectives. In healthcare, the government has driven unprecedented progress expanding access to top-of-the-line services, while rebuilding the sector with the introduction of universal health insurance, alongside large-scale screening and treatment initiatives,” said Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of University Hospitals and Official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population.

“The scale and scope of advances that Egypt has achieved in healthcare can only be described as a dream come true and I am proud that Novartis’s commitment to Egyptian patients and partnership with the government has played an integral role,” Sherif Amin, Novartis Oncology General Manager, said. “When it comes to women’s health, breast cancer tops the agenda as the most common kind of cancer to affect women in Egypt. At Novartis we tackle the tough questions and challenge the status quo, we collaborate to serve patient populations where the needs are high; and breast cancer is a case in point; in Egypt breast cancer accounts for almost one in three (32%) of all cancer cases diagnosed. We are proud to be a main partner of the Presidential Initiative for Women’s Health and the Egyptian government on diverse initiatives as part of an ambitious national plan to elevate cancer care and control, with breast cancer defining the first phase of the agenda.”

“Healthcare system sustainability is the key to achieve universal access. As a global leader in generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars our purpose is to accelerate access by providing high-quality affordable treatments,” said Sameh El Bagoury, Sandoz Egypt Country Head.

“Today, healthcare systems worldwide face more pressure than ever before, in Africa these challenges are further compounded by a unique set of challenges that demand revolutionary approaches for effective solutions. Biosimilars are integral to that solution, they lay the foundations for sustainable healthcare while offering patients a new realm of possibility. We are proud with our recent launch of ‘Act4Biosimilars’ a global initiative that aims to increase patient access to advanced medicines by facilitating greater approvability, accessibility, acceptability and affordability. In our quest to ensure that no patient is left behind, we will continue to work with stakeholders across Africa to drive action designed to integrate affordable treatment options within healthcare systems.”