About Us| PharmaConnect Africa

PharmaConnect Africa is a Non Profit Organization registered in South Africa. Its primary aim is to convene all role players in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry in Africa to network and shape policies and the common agenda of improving access to good quality, safe and efficacious medicines and health products for all Africans. We achieve this aim through hosting PharmaConnect Africa events including the PharmaConnect Africa Conference & Expo, Workshops and Seminars. Our core areas of interest are Clinical Trials / Clinical Research, Regulatory harmonization, Regulatory Professionals’ Education and Training, Pharmacovigilence, and Local Pharmaceutical Production.

The inaugural PharmaConnect Africa Conference and Expo was held on the 29th and 30th of March 2017. Over the years, PharmaConnect Africa has gained the reputation of being a credible forum where role players in Africa pharma can meet and network. Our conferences have included official representation from regulators (e.g. Ghana FDA, East Africa Community (EAC), South African Health Products Regulatory Authority(SAHPRA) and Zazibona), government departments, local manufacturers (GBMSA and SAGMA), innovator companies and associations under the auspices of International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association (IFPMA), various South African universities, The Innovation Hub, and strategic partners such as USP Convention, UN agencies (UNIDO and WHO), and SADC-aligned business forum (SABF).

About the Conference

We would like to invite you to participate in PharmaConnect Africa 2021, dates to be confirmed which will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa.

This will be the 4th iteration of the conference and we believe we have built the reputation of being a go-to meeting for all things pharmaceutical and regulatory in Africa.

We are pleased to inform you that key stakeholders including IFPMA, USP, ICGEB, DST, WHO, SAHPRA and key regulators from West Africa, East Africa and SADC / Zazibona have been invited, and many providing indications of interest already.

We will also have representations from patient groups and medical insurance / aid organizations.

About the Symposium

Post-conference symposium – Personalized Health Care (PHC) - Preparing Africa for the Future Today

What is PHC / Precision medicine? Is it relevant in the African context?

Is the African health care system ready for PHC?

Who has a role to play in PHC?

Join us at PharmaConnect Africa 2020 to unpack these questions and many others. This topic is not new on the global stage. This is however one of the first earnest attempts to bring key stakeholders in the PHC ecosystem in Africa to start this critical conversation.

Why attend the symposium?

Understand how gene therapies and biologics will affect the pharma business in Africa – pre-clinical research to clinic
Learn about current research going on in Africa and the opportunities it presents
Understand the regulatory and ethical issues involved with PHC
Engage with the topic and the co-creation of the future that will enable better outcomes for patients

Board members

Mrs. Delese Mimi Darko graduated as a Bachelor of Pharmacy from the KNUST and her postgraduate Masters degree in Business Administration was from the University of Northampton. Her 27 year carrier encompasses the regulation of food and drugs including clinical trials regulation, marketing authorization and post approval safety monitoring of medicines and (allopathic and herbal) cosmetics, household chemicals and medical devices.

Dr Michelle Middle is the Chief Medical Officer for FARMOVS, the Dedicated Research Company wholly owned by the University of the Free State.

Dr Middle, who holds a Medical degree and a Master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Medicine, has 26 years medical and research experience and has worked in South Africa, the US and the UK.

I work as Global Development Manager at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) and focus on cooperation with developing countries and emerging markets and liaising with international foundations and organisations such as the UN.

Edmond Shoko is a Chartered Accountant (ICAEW) (FCCA) by profession and holds an MBA specialising in business strategy and is recognized for fresh and innovative ideas. He has authored several academic papers on business strategy.

SCIENTIFIC REVIEW COMMITTEE (SRC)

With a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Science from Strathclyde (Glasgow), David previously worked at Farmovs-Parexel CRO Pty Ltd and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC). He was also a visiting scientist at Scynexis Inc, RTP, North Carolina in 2010. His areas of interest and expertise are natural products/pharmacognosy, analytical chemistry, and regulatory science. He is on the advisory committees of SAHPRA has completed several consulting assignments for Department of Trade and Industry, SADC as well as United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Judy has been in the Pharmaceutical industry for sixteen years, initially specializing in research and development and progressing into investment; thereafter government and regulatory affairs and now matters of the profession. Her career began with joining Mintek in 2003 after obtaining her PhD in Organic Chemistry at the University of Johannesburg (RAU). Judy started her research career in a secondment to University of Witwatersrand. During this time Judy went on a research visit to Heidelberg, Germany. Shortly after her return to South Africa she began heading up the Mintek AuTEK Biomedical Programme, along with taking on an honorary position at the University of Witwatersrand. At the end of 2012 Judy joined the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) as the General Manager: Health. In 2015 Judy moved to the Innovative Pharmaceutical Association South Africa (IPASA). She was responsible for monitoring trends and activities in the healthcare environment, with a specific focus on Scientific and Regulatory Affairs. In 2018 she was head hunted into the role of Executive Director for the Southern Gauteng Branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa (PSSA SG). At the end of 2020 Judy moved to Amgen South Africa as the Senior Manager for Regulatory Affairs.

Email: judycoates01@gmail.com / jcoates@amgen.co.za

Completed his Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) degree in 2006 at the University of Zimbabwe, Master of Science in Medical Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2010 from the University of Groningen and Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics at the North-West University, Potchefstroom campus in 2016. Clinton has a demonstrated history of being a resourceful and resilient person who thrives on new challenges. He has experience from the retail space; academia and clinical trials. Currently he works for a multinational company as a regulatory affairs pharmacist and is responsible for end-to-end processes in several markets.

Past Events

About the Conference

About the Symposium

Post-conference symposium – Personalized Health Care (PHC) - Preparing Africa for the Future Today

Board members

Mrs. Delese Mimi Darko

Dr. Michelle Middle

Roseanna Avento

Edmond Shoko

SCIENTIFIC REVIEW COMMITTEE (SRC)

Prof David R Katerere

Dr. Judy Coates

Dr Clinton Rambanapasi

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