senegal โคLaunches Affordable Sickleโ cell Treatment for Children
DAKAR, Senegal – A locallyโ produced, generic version of hydroxyurea, called Drepaf, is now available in select Senegalese pharmacies, โคoffering a significantly more affordable and age-appropriate treatmentโ option for children โขbattling โคsickle cellโข disease -โข the world’s leading genetic illness, disproportionately impacting Africa. โ
Sickle cell disease, affecting an estimated 10% of the Senegalese population, causes severeโฃ pain and can be fatal if untreated, with over half of patients dying before the age of 10.Drepaf,โ packaged by Teranga Pharma in partnership with an NGO andโข an โขIndian manufacturer, received marketing authorization in April and is sold at half the price of the original drug. Crucially, the new formulationโ is designed for โฃchildren as young as nine months old, potentially preventing debilitating seizures and allowing them to attendโ school.
“The product can be used from nine months, which will allow him not to have seizures, pain and to go to school, giving him the same chancesโ of success asโค those who doโ not have the disease,” explained Mouhamadou Sow, director of Teranga Pharma, while showcasing a current stockโ of 4,210 boxes at the laboratory’s dakar facility.
The advancement comes as experts emphasizeโค the growing need for sickleโข cell disease to be recognized as a public health priority.”If we use epidemiological โdata from the WHO, we know that by 2050 there will be more than 500,000 births per year and that the majority of cases of sickle cell disease, 75%, are found in Africa,” statedโค Professor Zeynabou Fall, a specialist inโ sickle cell anemia. “This must become a priority health public, after cancer, malaria and diabetes.”
Currently, 16,000 boxes of Drepaf have been distributed across Senegal, with Teranga pharma planning to resume โproduction โคin January 2026, with the goal of expanding access to neighboring countries within a year.
