Advocacy Brief Prioritize registration of MNCH Products 30 Sept

In fact, in 2020, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia alone accounted for 86% of maternal deaths worldwide and more than 80% of the under-five deaths.1 Gaps in the quality of care—including poor access to medicines, vaccines, and medical devices—contribute significantly to illness and death among women, newborns, and children. [...] This, therefore, is a call to action to health stakeholders on the African continent, including NRAs, ministries of health, donors, development partners, and civil society, to prioritize the registration of MNCH medical products as part of a strategy to provide access to the products that are essential for effective MNCH services and averting preventable deaths. [...] ■ Streamline registration processes and provide predictable approval timelines using regional and continental reliance networks and frameworks, such as those of the Southern African Development Community/ZaZiBoNa, the East Africa Community, and the Economic Community of West African States Medicines Regulatory Harmonization initiative, and by taking advantage of work sharing and joint review activ. [...] ■ Ratify the African Medicines Agency (AMA) Treaty which builds on the AMRH initiative and came into force in 2021, to address the fragmentation in regulatory decision-making that compromises the quality of medical products and delays the introduction of new products. [...] ■ Support regional and continental platforms such as the AMRH Initiative and the AMA once fully operationalized to prioritize and streamline registration of MNCH medicines and to advocate for mutual recognition of country approvals through harmonization.