By DOH JAMES SONKEY
The drug portfolio of the National Centre for the Procurement and Supply of Essential Medicines better known by its French acronym as CENAME will henceforth be enriched by 15 medicines used in the treatment of certain cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, certain respiratory diseases and breast cancer following a deal reached at last February 20, 2018 between Novartis and CENAME in Yaounde.
According to the terms of the agreement signed by Novartis Social Business and Legal Head, Rodrigo Osorio Aguilar and by CENAME’s Director General, Dr Joseph Vaillam, the 15 drugs that cover medicines within Novartis Access Programme will be supplied regularly, stored and distributed in Cameroon
It was specified that “these drugs should cost about 750 FCFA for the monthly treatment of a patient. They will initially be available in category 1 and 2 hospitals in the cities of Yaoundé and Douala.”
The DG of CENAME, Dr Joseph Vaillam told reporters that “The signed convention marks a starting point for the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU signed on 17 September 2017 between the same company and the Cameroon Ministry of Public Health which allowed for the establishment of the Novartis Access program in Cameroon making our country the first in Sub Saharan Africa to benefit from it.”
Talking to the press, Novartis Head of Market Access and Portfolio, Jiqing Madeleine Wang said “our programme includes the distribution of a set of 15 high-quality medicines against the four most common types of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). These medicines are among the most frequently prescribed in the world for these diseases. Novartis Access will also strengthen health systems through the training of health professionals in the detection, diagnosis and treatment of NCDs, community education and outreach activities. It is also focused on controlling the integrity of the distribution chain.”
“We are very excited about our comprehensive program in Cameroon,” said Dr Harald Nusser, the Global Head of Novartis Social Business. “Today’s agreement shows the intensity of efforts to combat NCDs within the government of Cameroon. Our basket of medicines is already available through Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Service hospitals. Now, they will be available through CENAME in the public sector and through other faith-based health providers. Soon, we hope that everyone in Cameroon with one of the most common non-communicable diseases will have access to one of our treatments at an affordable cost – no patient will pay more than about US$1.70 a month. I also hope that Cameroon will become a model for much of the rest of Africa,” he added.
Statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that chronic non-communicable diseases account for 31% of all deaths recorded each year in Cameroon. The WHO also states that about 20% of people between the ages of 30 and 70 in Cameroon are likely to die from one of these four chronic non-communicable diseases. This is one of the highest rates in Africa.