MMV presents Fosun Pharma with an award for their commitment to global health

On 14 June, MMV presented Fosun Pharma, a leading global pharmaceutical and healthcare group, with an award in recognition of their unwavering commitment to the development and delivery of life-saving antimalarial drugs. The award celebrates Fosun Pharma’s major impact in contributing to the battle against malaria and reaffirms MMV’s commitment to continue its long and fruitful collaboration with the company.

"We are honored to receive this award and would like to thank MMV and our global partners for their trust and support to our continuous efforts in the fight against malaria," said Wen Deyong, CEO of Fosun Pharma. “As a global innovation-driven pharmaceutical and healthcare industry group, Fosun Pharma always values innovation as the most important social responsibility for a pharmaceutical enterprise. Fosun Pharma’s global operational networks will further improve the availability and affordability of our antimalarial products so as to contribute Chinese wisdom for a malaria-free world.”

A partnership spanning more than a decade

In 2009, MMV and Fosun Pharma initiated a collaborative effort to combat malaria, expanding the arsenal of effective tools available in the fight against this terrible disease with the co-development of Artesun and SPAQ-CO.

With MMV’s support, Fosun Pharma became the first manufacturer to achieve WHO prequalification for injectable artesunate as the recommended treatment for severe malaria in adults and children in 2010. By leveraging their expertise and commitment to innovation, Fosun Pharma has played a pivotal role in ensuring that this life-saving medication reaches those in need, reducing the burden of severe malaria and contributing to the saving of an estimated 1.66 million lives in the process. Furthermore, Fosun Pharma has continuously worked to improve the formulation and simplify the administration process, making it easier for healthcare workers to provide swift and effective treatment.

In parallel and since 2014, Fosun Pharma has been at the forefront of the seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) journey, which has revolutionized the fight against malaria in the Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa. As the first manufacturer to develop a child-friendly dispersible formulation for the oral administration of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and amodiaquine (SPAQ), Fosun Pharma has played a pivotal role in delivering this life-saving intervention to millions of children. Their unwavering commitment and innovation have supported a fast uptake of SMC, where in 2021 alone, over 44 million children in 13 countries were protected. Fosun Pharma's dedication to improving global health outcomes continues to drive transformative change in malaria prevention, setting the bar high for the pharmaceutical industry.

Fosun Pharma continues to innovate by establishing a greenfield African manufacturing plant in Côte d'Ivoire, which is a new facility. The venture recently received significant financing from the International Finance Corporation (IFC). This ambitious endeavour aims to strengthen local production capacity, improving accessibility to life-saving medications in the region.

Furthermore, Fosun Pharma's dedication to enhancing formulation and administration processes has resulted in a significant accomplishment. On 27 June 2023, they obtained WHO prequalification for their new one-step injectable artesunate formulation, the first prequalified injectable artesunate with a single solvent system. Their continuous efforts to improve treatment accessibility and effectiveness are commendable.

"We are delighted to award Fosun Pharma for their exceptional commitment to combating malaria," said Dr David Reddy, CEO of MMV. "Their dedication and contributions have been instrumental in driving progress in the fight against this deadly disease. Together, we will continue our efforts to eliminate malaria and improve the health and well-being of communities at-risk around the world."