Join the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC) and USP for a webinar on Wednesday, April 17 at 9am ET to discuss the findings from a new report on manufacturing maternal health supplies, which evaluates five essential maternal health products across eight countries in Africa. Panelists will offer insights about regional manufacturing, regulatory harmonization efforts, donor funding priorities, and global procurement of maternal health supplies. The webinar will also highlight challenges and opportunities in manufacturing maternal health supplies in Africa and provide a way forward to help expand regional production.
Panel
- Chimwemwe Chamdimba, Programme Head, African Medicines Regulation Harmonization (AMRH), AUDA-NEPAD
- Dr. Uzoma Ezeoke, Executive Director, Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries
- Ademola Osigbesan, Technical Manager of Strategic Sourcing and Supply, UNITAID
- Dr. Perrer Tosso, Director of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Programs, USP
- Beth Yeager, Deputy Director of PQM+ program, USP (moderator)
Read the report Speaker Bios Download the slides
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Chimwemwe Chamdimba
Chimwemwe Chamdimba is the Head of African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH) Initiative at the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD). She responsible for the management of the AMRH Initiative and leading the technical support to the operationalization of the African Medicines Agency (AMA). She is leading policy reforms linking regulatory systems strengthening to procurement in support of local manufacturing of medical products and technologies. As a health policy specialist, she has spearheaded health policy and regulatory reforms, regional harmonization and partner coordination. She has contributed to key continental policies including the AU Model Law on Medical Product Regulation; the Treaty for the establishment of the African Medicines Agency (AMA); and the AU Private Sector Engagement in Health Framework.
Uzoma Ezeoke
Uzoma Ezeoke is the Executive Director at Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, a leading family-owned transgenerational Wellness Company. In her twenty-five plus years as a registered Pharmacist, a significant portion was spent in Community Practice cultivating an enduring focus on the healthcare consumer. Her responsibilities are diverse and extend beyond Emzor’s legacy in pharmaceutical manufacturing, affording her the opportunity to work in the emerging areas of the group’s business. These include vaccines, medical equipment & consumables and more recently API manufacturing. She plays an active role in product development, customer relations and consumer communications. Uzoma is energised by artistic expression and is particularly drawn to the spoken and written word.
Ademola Osigbesan
Ademola has over seventeen years of experience expanding access to medicines, diagnostics, and other health technologies, especially in LMICs. Ademola is currently a Technical Manager at UNITAID, providing oversight on strategic sourcing and supply management for projects in HIV, TB, HCV, malaria, fever management, cervical cancer, and COVID-19. In this role, Ademola coordinates UNITAID’s industry engagement and regional manufacturing initiatives. He also provides technical support to UNITAID’s market access and market shaping initiatives. Ademola previously worked with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), Center for Integrated Health Programs, ICAP at Columbia University, and Pfizer pharmaceuticals, where he held different positions in procurement, supply chain management, and other programme management. Ademola has a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, an MBA from the Business School Netherlands, and a Masters in Development Policy and Practice from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Perrer Tosso
Dr. Perrer Tosso is a chemist and public health thought leader specializing in sustainable pharmaceutical production, advanced manufacturing technologies, and the optimization of drug development and pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. He holds specific expertise in process development and integration for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Dr. Tosso currently serves as Director of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Programs at the U.S. Pharmacopeia where he works to expand manufacturing in low- and middle-income countries to increase equitable access to quality-assured medical products. Dr. Tosso earned his Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry from Georgetown University.
Beth Yeager
Beth Yeager has more than 25 years of experience in the design, implementation, and monitoring of public health programs, as well as in qualitative and quantitative methodologies for public health research, including for maternal and child health, reproductive health, infectious diseases, behavior change interventions to improve medicine use, and nutrition. Prior to joining USP, she worked with USAID-funded programs at Chemonics International and MSH. Ms. Yeager has served on technical resource teams created under the United Nations Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children and is the former chair of the Maternal Health Supplies Caucus, Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition. Ms. Yeager holds a master’s degree in international health from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.