Members of Parliament’s Budget Committee on Wednesday indicated they are satisfied with the vision and focus of the multi-billion dollar pharmaceuticals plant being erected by Ugandan firm Dei Biopharma Ltd and have indicated they will support a move to appropriate money from the government to keep it on track.
The project, promoted under the leadership of Ugandan chemist Matthias Magoola and his partners, is currently at a halt due to financing issues.
Cabinet has since intervened, and Ministers led by Science, Technology, and Innovations Minister Dr. Monica Musenero visited the plant earlier on Wednesday. They were impressed by the work done in the first phase of its construction.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Parliament’s Budget Committee, led by its Chairman, Mr. Patrick Isiagi, also visited the facility and described the progress as worth every penny.
“This is a very wonderful idea, and the way things are moving, we only pray that nothing interrupts this project. This is a project that is going to attract a lot of jobs, bring in a lot of foreign currency exchange to our country, and balance our trade with the world. It will also reduce our import of drugs, and we shall be exporting drugs,” said Mr. Isiagi in an interview with PML Daily.
He added that when asked whether it’s an idea the Parliament of Uganda can support, the Budget Committee Chairperson responded:
“Very much. There’s something you’re seeing already. Some great percent of work is done, so for us as Parliament and Ugandans in general, it is very important to support such projects, which are going to generate revenue for the country and also create jobs.”
The facility, which is expected to employ up to 40,000 people directly and tens of thousands more in the value chain, needs more than UGX 500 billion to commence mass production, according to Mr. Mathias Magoola, the proprietor of the Dei Pharm Vaccines Plant in Matugga, who spoke to ministers during a guided tour on Wednesday.
Magoola stated that the factory, a beacon of Uganda’s science innovation, will produce biologic solutions listed as essential drugs, including:
- Filgrastim
- Erythropoietin
- Trastuzumab
These will be the first biosimilars produced in Africa.
He revealed that Dei BioPharma has secured more than 3,000 formulations, providing a wide array of potential drugs for production, including vaccines, anti-cancer drugs, therapeutic proteins, peptides, and cell therapy.
The facility is also the only African pharmaceutical company currently manufacturing COVID-19 therapeutic medications and is gearing up to produce one billion doses of mRNA vaccines, guided by World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
The development of the facility has been financed through partner funding from the Equity Group. The Bank provided up to US$100 million for construction, importation of Hi-Tech Medical Equipment, and working capital support, while Uganda Development Bank contributed US$20 million.
In March 2022, a team of experts from the WHO commended Dei Biopharma for establishing the manufacturing facility, stating that it provides a base for Africa to effectively respond to COVID-19 and other viruses using both traditional and modern medicinal therapies.
Dei BioPharma Uganda Ltd is a medical and food (nutraceuticals & pharmaceutical) research company incorporated in Uganda in January 2014. It produces medicines, food supplements, and cosmetics.
Dei Natural Products began manufacturing hand sanitizer under the brand name Covanil and a natural malaria suppressant called Artavol, which was initially taken prophylactically as an herbal tea.
After refinement, the Dei anti-malarial was registered by the National Drug Authority (NDA) in Uganda as THA-218 and is currently undergoing WHO testing and procedures toward certification in recognition of its anti-malarial properties.
In March 2022, a team of experts from WHO commended Dei Biopharma for establishing the manufacturing facility, highlighting its role in Africa’s response to COVID-19 and other viral diseases using both traditional and modern medicinal therapies.
Dei BioPharma Uganda Ltd is a medical and food (nutraceuticals & pharmaceutical) research company incorporated in Uganda in January 2014, producing medicines, food supplements, and cosmetics.
Dei Natural Products started manufacturing hand sanitizer under the brand name Covanil and a natural malaria suppressant called Artavol, which was taken as an herbal tea. After refinement, the Dei anti-malarial was registered by the National Drug Authority (NDA) in Uganda as THA-218 and is currently undergoing WHO testing and certification procedures.
Dei BioPharma Uganda Ltd has now completed the first phase of what will be the first FDA (American Food & Drug Administration) and EMA (European Medicines Agency) certified lab and production facility in Matugga, Wakiso District, Uganda.
Once necessary recognition and approval from WHO are received, Dei BioPharma will be among the first African manufacturers producing drugs and supplements for a global market.
This first phase is set to produce tablets and capsules of targeted formulations based on demand. Future scale-up phases will allow for the production of antibiotics, with mRNA vaccine production planned.
The pursuit of FDA/EMA/WHO recognition required modifications to the project plan, enabling FDA/EMA teams to assess the project from the beginning and throughout its progress.
Once completed, the fully-fledged pharmaceutical plant will feature:
- Pharmaceutical Quality Control Centre
- Cancer Research Centre
- Drug Discovery Centre
- Bio-Tech Labs and Office Block (civil works)
- Pharmaceutical Equipment and HVAC System
The initial project cost was UGX 312.8B (approx. US$83.8M), but with modifications, the cost has risen to US$88M.
Pharmaceutical Plant Capacity
- A production plant for solid dosage formulations and liquid production with a capacity of 30.7 million bottles per annum
- Daily Production Capacity:
- Tablets: 5 million
- Capsules: 5 million
- Painkillers: 5 million
- Syrup Suspensions: 96,000 bottles
- Drugs to be produced:
- Generics
- Non-beta lactam antibiotics
- Nutraceuticals
- Vitamins and supplements
- Herbal products
- Key drugs: Adalimumab, Filgrastim, Chemotherapeutic agents, Antivirals (including HIV/AIDS management drugs), Peg Filgrastim (for white blood cell stimulation), and COVID-19 vaccines.
The machinery for the plant was sourced from United Pharmatek LLC (USA), while the HVAC system was procured from TECO (Italy).
Target Market
The primary market for Dei BioPharma includes:
- Government hospitals
- Public hospitals
- Pharmaceutical outlets
- Export markets in the region
A key focus for Dei BioPharma is anti-infective treatments, given that infectious diseases—including malaria, tuberculosis, bacterial, and viral infections—remain the leading cause of mortality in Africa.
Since most medicines are imported, further increasing costs, Dei BioPharma aims to provide a cost-effective, locally manufactured solution aligned with its mission to combat malaria in Uganda and across Africa.
SOURCE: PMLDAILY.COM
