In a New York Times article written by David Sanger and four others titled “Profit and Pride at Stake, The Race for a Vaccine Intensifies,” an excellent presentation is made of the efforts of several countries of the world and big pharmaceutical companies to beat each other in a fiercely competitive race to find a vaccine that can insulate us all from the ravaging coronavirus pandemic and restore normalcy to our world again. In the same vein, in an article he published last week in Washington Post, the co-chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates makes it clear that things would remain uncertain until a vaccine is found for the virus. In Gates’ estimation, the enormous cost in public health and wealth associated with the virus can only begin to ease when a vaccine is found.
According to the article in the New York Times, there are an estimated 90 different types of research sponsored by governments, pharmaceutical companies, biotech innovators and academic laboratories and of these number, seven have advanced to clinical trials. From the US to UK, Brazil to Germany, Serbia to Switzerland; scientists and innovators are unrelenting in their quest to beat Dr Maurice Hilleman’s record (the developer of the mumps vaccine) of taking a vaccine from the lab to the clinic in four years. Typically, according to scientists, vaccines take ten to fifteen years of research and testing to achieve any meaningful result and pass the rigours scrutiny of public health officials before approval is given.
Sadly, only 6% of projects initiated by researchers and scientists ever reach the finish line. If we share the optimism of Bill Gates and assume that the researchers will be able to come up with something within the next eighteen to twenty-four months, it will still be record-breaking but by then, several economies would have collapsed completely and millions of lives perhaps could have been lost. This is not something anybody wants.
Truth is that at the moment, I am yet to see real gainers in this pandemic. Despite all the conspiracy theories and accusations by several world leaders, religious organisations and doomsday theorists, it is hard to see how China is profiting from the virus. Today’s economic realities demand that a country like China can only prosper when other economies are active and booming. China’s economy relies on exports. Right now, there is very little they are exporting. Forget the claims about making billions from the sale of PPEs, truth is that their economy has far bigger capacity than that and right now, much of their productive assets are idle. Certainly not where anyone that invents a crisis to profit from it would be. Matter of fact, the Chinese economy had its worst performance in 40 years according to Newsweek magazine after it shrank by 6.8% in the first quarter of 2020. Other economies that patronise Chinese commodities including US and Europe and even Africa have seen unprecedented downturns in their economic performances over the past few months. The projection, according to the World Trade Organisation is that the ongoing global economic recession will be in effect up till the last quarter of 2021.
I, however, found one thing interesting when reading the New York Times article. Africa was largely ignored in their presentation and that is because it is very unlikely that much is happening in African labs or amongst the continent’s top researchers in the race to find a cure for this deadly virus. Europe and American pharmaceuticals are leading the race to find a vaccine while an Indian establishment, the Serum Institute, reputed to be the heavyweight champion of vaccine manufacturing, capable of churning out 1.5 billion doses per annum has entered into an agreement with firms working on four promising potential vaccines.
Very much like Donald Trump and other world leaders, the Indian firm has made it clear that any drug manufactured by it would be deployed to benefit the 1.3 billion people in the country before any overseas considerations would be made. The US president and his counterparts in Europe are keen to protect their population by making vaccines available to them first and foremost; an indication of the reigning political philosophy of the moment. It is all about nationalism. My country first.
So who takes care of Africa?
Truth is that right now, nobody cares about Africa. Every continent is fighting to save its people and ensure its prosperity. It is incumbent on the leaders of Africa to seek their own salvation. Already the signs are terrible. In Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari appears not to have a keen grasp on the issues. Sadly, he is supposed to be leading Africa’s response to the virus. Apart from asking the people to stay indoors and extensive adverts on TV and radio, there isn’t much coming from any of South Africa, Egypt or any other regional giant.
To be clear, African cannot compete with any of Johnson and Johnson or Moderna. The continent would be beaten should it try to outdo the researchers at Oxford University in the UK. Already, the Chinese have committed an estimated 1, 000 researchers and military scientists to work on getting a vaccine for their compatriots. The Chinese understandably wants to beat the USA in the race to develop a vaccine. Presently, there are nine coronavirus vaccines in development in China. As with India, the primary target is the Chinese population.
You will now agree with me that right now, Africa has no one to run to. Production capacities are very limited and when eventually the drugs are ready, the rich, technologically innovative and connected countries would benefit first. Africa is neither rich nor can boast of any structured research system. Where does that leave us? Not in a good place I can tell you.
Does it mean we should just wait for death to come knocking? Are we entirely helpless? Again I don’t think so and already, it does appear that Madagascar has shown us what is possible when we look within for solutions to our problems. The island nation located 400 kilometres off the coast of East Africa launched the commercial production of a herbal formulation it called Covid-Organics last month after it was found to be effective in the treatment of persons infected with the novel COVID-19. Admittedly, the drug trial was conducted on less than 20 people according to the BBC and may have fallen short of the standards required by WHO and public health authorities in the UK and EU.
What is however not in doubt is that the drug has so far proven to be very effective. Made from Artemesia, a source material used in the manufacture of malaria drugs, Covid-Organics is already drawing attention across several countries in Africa including Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana and several other countries with top officials already sending aircraft to the island nations to pick up their orders. It is expected that more orders will be coming from several other countries across the world in the weeks ahead.
It is interesting to note that the Covid-organics is drawing international attention despite the cautious outlook of the WHO. Truth is that the world is in crisis and many people are in a desperate search to find a cure. If that cure comes from Madagascar, millions of people afflicted with coronavirus from all over the world would quietly ignore WHO’s cynicism and go ahead to patronise Covid-Organics. This then is where the reality becomes hard to digest once more. Does Madagascar have what it takes to supply the entire world with this herbal mixture if push comes to shove? What happens if the trials in the US and other developed economies fail? Should we wait for fifteen years before we return to where we were before the outbreak of this pandemic?
I see a great opportunity here for Nigeria and several other African countries where alternative medicine is quite popular. Professor Maurice Iwu for instance, an internationally acclaimed pharmacist and the founder of a bioresearch centre here in Nigeria announced earlier in the year that he has a herbal formula that can effectively destroy the virus and boost the human immune system. Has the health ministry or anyone in government reached out to him with any form of support? You can see western governments supporting their scientists and researchers. Why are we abandoning ours? Also recently, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi announced that he was working with some alternative medicine practitioners in Yoruba land to develop a herbal remedy for the virus. How did we react to the Ooni’s claim: derision and mockery. Did anyone in government call him or any of his men to throw more light on their project? It is very unlikely. There are also other local researchers and scientists working on various herbal formulations to help overcome the virus. Are they been supported by the government? Again, not very likely.
Permit me to ask: are we just folding our arms in the hope that other hardworking nations will invent the drugs for coronavirus and throw them at us? We may have to think again. The evidence from Madagascar has shown that a whole lot is possible when we commit ourselves to maximising the resources within our environment in our search for the solution to existential problems. This is not a time to sit back and pick our tooth after downing a plate of pepper soup. What we must do now is to bend down and start seeking for solutions; just like our peers in other parts of the world.
