“Partnership is non-negotiable”: MARC SE-Africa webinar on the role of pharmaceutical and regulatory bodies in addressing drug-resistant malaria

Between May and September 2025, the MARC SE-Africa consortium held a series of webinars aimed at highlighting the growing problem of antimalarial drug resistance in East and Southern Africa, sharing valuable resources for malaria practitioners and fostering discussions among them. The final webinar in the series was held on 1 September, exploring the role of pharmaceutical and regulatory bodies in addressing drug-resistant malaria.

The webinar, chaired by Dr Joanitah Atuhaire from the University of Cape Town, covered the complex world of malaria drug development, the realities of malaria testing and treatment in the private sector, and how these factors affect the fight against drug-resistant malaria.

Pierre Hugo from the Medicines for Malaria Venture opened the webinar with introductory remarks, emphasising that drug resistance is currently one of the biggest threats in combating malaria. Artemisinin-based combination therapies are an effective front-line tool, but delayed parasite clearance has been observed in some countries, threatening to undermine the progress made in reducing malaria mortality. He pointed out the long-term commitment required to bring new drugs to market, which often takes 10–15 years. Partnerships are key in this process, he said, and they should engage both the public and private sector, as they play different roles in how people receive treatment.

The role of the pharmaceutical industry in combating antimalarial drug resistance was outlined by Dr Nekoye Otsyula from Novartis, who described the current moment as one that requires innovation in the development of drugs to fight malaria. She summarised the complex path to a new antimalarial drug through research, development, commercial aspects, and access activities. One of the main challenges, she emphasised, is gathering support for innovative research concerning issues that might only materialise in several years yet require the drug development to start now.

Daniel Rosen from Maisha Meds presented some of the data collected by the company’s software that pharmacies and clinics in Africa use. The data highlights the key role that private sector treatment practices play in combating drug-resistant malaria, with the private sector consuming 50% of all antimalarials in sub-Saharan Africa, 75% of which were sourced from non-WHO-prequalified manufacturers last year. It is more common for presumptive treatment to be used in the private sector than in the public, where testing is more likely to be encouraged by government policies. Considering all this, emphasised Mr Rosen, more regulation should focus on the quality of medication in the private sector.

In the coming months, Maisha Meds will launch the Antimalarial Consumption Tracker, a dashboard offering free access to malaria drug consumption data to nonprofits.

With this webinar, the MARC SE-Africa webinar series has come to an end. Through the four sessions, hundreds of individuals dedicated to combating drug-resistant malaria had the opportunity to learn from experts in the field, gain a deeper understanding of the current situation, explore invaluable digital tools they can utilise in their work, and discuss key topics in managing malaria today.

If you missed any of the sessions, make sure to watch the recordings from the first three webinars by clicking on the images below: