The pact will help in affordable insulins ‘Mission 10 cents,’ programme for low- and middle-income countries
Biotechnology major Biocon said its arm Biocon Biologics has signed a pact with the Christian Social Services Commission (CSSC) in Tanzania, in continuation of its ‘Mission 10 cents’, an affordable insulins programme for low- and middle-income countries.
Tanzania will be the first country in Africa that will benefit from this collaboration between Biocon Biologics and CSSC, Biocon said in a BSE filing.
Biocon Biologics is helping unlock universal access to quality insulins in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by making recombinant human insulin (rh-insulin) available for less than 10 US cents per day as a part of its ”Mission 10 cents” programme, Biocon said in a regulatory filing.
“Biocon Biologics is leveraging its long-standing expertise to shift the access paradigm for patients in LMICs through its high-quality, affordable insulins. We aspire to co-create with our partner a patient ecosystem that goes beyond the product to transform the lives of millions of diabetes patients globally,” Christiane Hamacher, CEO and MD, Biocon Biologics.
On the memorandum of understanding (MoU), CSSC CEO Peter Maduki said, “CSSC works with a network of more than 900 health facilities, most of which are located in the rural area serving the rural population. We are delighted to work with Biocon Biologics in this ”Mission 10 cents” programme.”
This is a good opportunity to improve the management of diabetic patients for better patient outcomes in Tanzania especially the marginalised who could not afford the high cost of medicines, he added.
The programme is expected to roll out early next year and will include community-based health promotion, disease awareness campaigns, screening programmes, capacity building of health facilities and training of healthcare professionals, the filing said.
In the run-up to the 100th anniversary of insulin, Biocon Biologics had unveiled its ”Mission 10 cents” programme in 2019 to unlock universal access to high-quality human insulin, the filing said.
Currently, the company is engaging with several governments in Southeast Asia, Africa, Middle East and the Caribbean to explore ways to disintermediate the supply of insulin, and to make sure that insulin pricing does not become a constraint to the well-being of individuals and communities affected by diabetes, it added.
PTI
