This issue features an expert from Africa who is very familiar with Chinese drugs. Cyrus A. Baidoo is the marketing manager of Fosun Pharma Sub-Saharan Africa focusing on antimalarial drugs.

Currently, malaria remains the most serious disease on the African continent. According to the world malaria report 2021 published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020, there were an estimated 241 million cases of malaria worldwide and 627,000 malaria-related deaths in the world. Among which, more than 95% of the cases occurred in Africa.

To be a marketing manager in Sub-Sahara Africa

Graduated f rom Kwame Nkrumah University of Science And Technology in Ghana with a major in pharmacy, As a native Ghana, Cyrus has been working in the African pharmaceutical industry for 12 years and has worked at Fosun Pharma for eight years.

The breakthrough started in 2005. On 21 December 2005, the artesunate tablet independently developed by Fosun Pharma obtained WHO pre-certification (WHO-PQ). From then on, Chinese enterprises and opened up the channel for selling artesunate products overseas.

Today, Tridem Pharma Ghana has developed from a team of four to 15 staff. Cyrus has also been promoted from the manager in Ghana to the marketing manager of Fosun Pharma (Sub-Sahara Africa) focusing on antimalarial drugs. Since 2007, its independently developed antimalarial drugs began to enter the African market, Artesun^® (artesunate for injection) obtained WHO-PQ in 2010, and now Fosun Pharma has become the global leader in malaria drugs and the most influential Chinese pharmaceutical brands in Africa.

“Your drug is magic！”

This influence comes from the product it self, but also f rom the reputation established in the process of cooperating with local institutions and frontline medical staff. In addition to actively entering the African market and participating in global cooperation of antimalaria drug research and development.

Today, Artesun^® (artesunate for injection), independently developed and manufactured by Fosun Pharma, has treated more than 48 million severe malar ia patients worldwide (most of which are African children under the age of five) by the end of 2021, helping Africa to reduce the malaria mortality rate by about 37.3% between 2000 and 2020 and the average life expectancy of people in African countries in 2020 has increased by 9.4 years compared with 2000.

Cyrus feels a bit more relieved every time these numbers go up. He and his team are working towards the goal of “eliminating malaria in Africa”, which is also the common aspiration of “the company headquarters in Shanghai”.

“We will actively participate in public healthimprovement and make steady efforts to build a malaria-free world.”Fosun expressed.