A Path to Prosperity New Directions for African Livestock

To achieve its goals, GALVmed has a vested interest
in ensuring both the establishment of effective,
profitable private veterinary practices in rural areas
and workable mechanisms for ensuring drug
quality. Ensuring both would encourage
investment by pharmaceutical companies in Africa
and build upon the product research work that
GALVmed is currently doing and may do more of in
a second phase of its work. GALVmed has existing
links with all of the key players working in this area
and is well positioned to facilitate a discussion on
how to bring the various work streams in line and
bring in new expertise and voices as necessary.
For example, GALVmed recently co-funded the
2010 regional training for OIE focal points for
veterinary products in Africa. During the training,
GALVmed convened a side event on the future of
harmonisation for vaccine registration in Africa.
The event established that there is strong support
for a process of mutual recognition of vaccines in
Africa, where one country’s regulatory authority
has issued a licence for a vaccine, other countries
would consider recognising that assessment and
authorisation, thereby reducing the significant
duplication of registration efforts that currently
exist. This could reduce regulatory costs and
speed the passage of essential vaccines to
the people who need them most.
In terms of improving the control and prevention
of neglected zoonotic disease, all commentators
agree, this requires multidisciplinary, intersectoral
and cross-cultural efforts by health, agriculture,
environment and other sectors of society at the
national and regional level. Effective control of
zoonoses also needs strong international
cooperation as exemplified by ICONZ and the
collaborations between OIE, FAO and WHO 90 .
The role of the private sector needs to be better
clarified and this presents some possibilities for
GALVmed to consider. Given that GALVmed is
already working with partners to develop new
vaccine and treatment regimes for porcine
cysticercosis and bearing in mind the relatively
high impact of zoonoses on the poor, GALVmed
might well consider greater involvement with
other neglected zoonoses. There is also scope
for GALVmed to consider commercialising new
penside diagnostic tests for neglected zoonoses
and to use its links with the pharmaceutical
industry to increase industry support for the
control of neglected zoonoses.
The Impetus Strategy Paper I Page 35