Report by the Economist Intelligence Unit Gives High Level Picture of the Continent's Healthcare Challenges

BEERSE, Belgium, March 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

"The Future Of Healthcare In Africa"

By 2022 reformed healthcare systems in African countries could succeed in making quality care available to a majority of their citizens, given the political will to meet healthcare spending targets.  This is one of the conclusions in a new report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), commissioned by Janssen Pharmaceutica NV and called "The Future Of Healthcare In Africa".

The report focuses on five possible future scenarios for African healthcare systems over the next ten years. Thirty four leading healthcare experts, representing the entire chain of stakeholders across the sector, helped the EIU's expert analysts identify the key trends shaping African healthcare systems and these were then used to develop scenarios that depict the possible health landscape on the continent in 2022 (see Press Release by The Economist for more information).

Jane Griffiths, Company Group Chairman of Janssen in EMEA, explains : "The study draws a very high level picture, combining statistics with trends and possible scenarios that could form the basis for further discussions on which policy options to take. We did the same thing last year with "The Future Of Healthcare In Europe". Solutions can only become clearer by having open and constructive discussions with all parties involved, based on factual analyses".

Janssen is active in Africa in many ways. Apart from selling its products across the region via its offices in Algeria, Egypt and South Africa, and working with distributors elsewhere, the company has also set up a number of projects specifically designed for infectious and neglected diseases, including research for a new tuberculosis treatment in collaboration with the TB Alliance, a microbicide targeting HIV, with the International Partnership for Microbicides, a new research programme against elephantiasis and river blindness with the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and the Gates Foundation, as well as against sleeping sickness, Chagas and visceral leishmaniasis.  

For the products that are already approved, Janssen sets up access programmes, such as the recently concluded agreements with generic manufacturers in Africa to manufacture and distribute the company's HIV/AIDS compounds, or the free distribution of treatments against intestinal infections with the Children Without Worms programme (More information is to be found in the attached backgrounder).

Commenting on the various scenarios presented in the report, Jane Griffiths continues "Broad and systematic access to healthcare can only be achieved when the proper healthcare insurance systems are in place, both public and private. This requires an investment by the authorities, but it is one that will offer immediate and sustainable returns to every country's economy, through decreased mortality, continued education, better stability in the income of households.  It is encouraging to see the results that countries such as Ghana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Burundi, Tunisia and Ethiopia have achieved in the past years. We tend to focus too much on what doesn't work in Africa, but we can learn only from the good examples".

With regard to medicines, specific initiatives can be taken which could benefit the region : "Regulatory harmonisation for the approval of medicines should be high on the agenda in Africa, " says Jane Griffiths. "Some of our HIV medicines have delayed market access because of different requirements across the region. Counterfeiting is also a scourge, and we have started with a pilot project with the Nigerian authorities to check how patients can verify the product's authenticity through text messaging. Technology options could mean a lot in the continent".

About the report

The report "The Future Of Healthcare In Africa" can be downloaded as a free pdf document from: http://www.janssen-emea.com/future-of-healthcare-africa

The report "The Future Of Healthcare In Europe" can be downloaded as a free pdf document from: http://www.janssen-emea.com/future-of-healthcare-europe

About Janssen

The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson are dedicated to addressing and solving the most important unmet medical needs of our time, including oncology, immunology, neuroscience, infectious disease, and cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

Driven by our commitment to patients, we develop innovative products, services and healthcare solutions to help people throughout the world.

More information can be found at http://www.janssen-emea.com