India-Africa Summit focus on generics and Indian investment in Africa

Availability of affordable generic medicines from India has been a game changer in the way millions of lives have been saved over the decades, and is of particular interest in the ongoing third India-Africa Summit, the most ambitious diplomatic outreach event in over two decades, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

Though India's trade with Africa has doubled to about $72 billion since 2007, it is nowhere near China's $200 billion which makes the latter the continent's largest trading partner.

Despite this, Gambia's Health Minister Omar Sey pointed out the need to ensure a framework on healthcare between the two nations, stating that the framework for affordable healthcare in Africa "requires breadth, scope and depth." Mr Sey called upon ‘India Inc’ to provide essential and life saving’s drugs to his countrymen, and also urged for investments to enable it to provide suitable and affordable healthcare facilities to the people of Gambia.