Former Bank Exec Endré Walls Wants to Reinvent Legacy Tech Powering U.S. Banks
September 1, 2026
Senegal has become the first African country to manufacture a generic sickle cell treatment locally called DREPAF, a hydroxyurea-based medicine.
Senegalese pharmaceutical company Teranga Pharma manufactures DREPAF in partnership with Drep. Afrique, a French nonprofit focused on improving sickle cell care across Africa.
The treatment was launched in November 2025 and is now being produced for Senegalese patients, with plans to expand distribution to other African markets.
The development is significant because Africa accounts for nearly 80% of global sickle cell disease cases, while many patients across the continent have historically depended on imported medicines.
Reducing Dependence on Imported Medicines
Senegal is stepping up efforts to reduce Africa’s dependence on imported medicines with a $7.1 million pharmaceutical project. The project will produce a locally manufactured generic treatment for sickle cell disease and target six African markets as production scales up.
Related Post: Louisiana Man Functionally Cured Of Sickle Cell Disease After Gene Therapy
Teranga Pharma manufactures the medicine, called Drepaf, at its facility in Senegal. Since launching in November 2025, the company has been scaling up production to meet growing demand for sickle cell treatment made in Africa. This development comes as Africa faces a deep gap in both health care and local manufacturing.
Nearly 80% of the world’s sickle cell disease cases occur in Africa, yet the continent has historically relied heavily on imported medicines. That dependence leaves countries vulnerable to international supply disruptions, foreign exchange pressures, shipping costs, and price fluctuations for imported drugs.
According to Drep.Afrique, DREPAF secured marketing approval in Senegal in April 2025, and commercial distribution started in early 2026. Senegal’s Agence de Presse Sénégalaise, APS, called the launch a significant move toward better treatment access for people living with the condition.
DREPAF’s importance is not that it introduces a new medicine. Its value lies in producing an affordable local generic version of hydroxyurea. Hydroxyurea has been used globally for decades to manage sickle cell disease.
The medicine works by boosting fetal hemoglobin production, which helps prevent red blood cells from sickling. It is prescribed to lower the frequency of painful episodes and other complications linked to sickle cell disease, while also cutting hospital admissions and the need for blood transfusions.
Mouhamadou Sow, Chief Executive Officer of Teranga Pharma, said the local production of DREPAF is meant to close that gap. “Africans do not have access to the active ingredient,” Sow said, according to Africanews.
Related Post: How Gene Therapy Could End Sickle Cell Disease
How DREPAF Will Be Deployed
By manufacturing the medicine locally, Teranga Pharma and Drep.Afrique say they aim to make treatment more affordable and accessible for patients who have previously struggled to obtain hydroxyurea.
According to Drep.Afrique, DREPAF is supplied at cost, with no commercial margin. The estimated price is about 50 (0.088$) to 100 (0.18$) CFA francs per day, depending on the patient’s age and dosage. The initiative has also focused on children, who make up a large share of severe sickle cell disease cases.
In March 2026, Teranga Pharma announced a pediatric formulation of DREPAF designed to make hydroxyurea easier to give to young children. According to APS, the pediatric formulation can be administered from nine months of age. The company said creating a suitable formulation for young children was technically challenging due to hydroxyurea’s properties and its instability in some liquid and effervescent preparations.
This development is especially significant because sickle cell disease can cause severe complications from childhood, including recurrent pain, anemia, infections, and organ damage. Drep.Afrique describes the project as part of a wider effort to improve access to standard sickle cell treatment in Africa by reducing reliance on imported medicines.
The impact could also extend beyond Senegal if production and distribution are expanded to other African countries. For now, however, DREPAF‘s main importance lies in showing that a treatment for a disease that disproportionately affects Africans can be manufactured locally for African patients. That could help reduce some of the cost and supply challenges linked to imported medicines.
Related Post: Kenyan Teens Win $12.5K for Vehicle Exhaust Filter Made From Farm Waste
The company’s immediate regional focus is Burkina Faso, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire, and it has also received requests from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Cameroon. Its longer-term goal is to meet demand across sub-Saharan Africa by 2030.
Main Image: Mouhamadou Sow, Chief Executive Officer of Teranga Pharma. Image Credit: SEYLLOU/ AFP
Join the UrbanGeekz community for the latest in tech, innovation, entrepreneurship, culture, and opportunities. Subscribe here.
