New Partnership Opens Lifeline for Africa's Rare Disease Patients

ZUG, Switzerland – April 13, 2026

A landmark collaboration announced today aims to bridge a critical healthcare gap for some of Africa's most vulnerable patients. Swiss-based Veld Pharmaceuticals GmbH and Italian biopharmaceutical giant Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A have joined forces to introduce nine of Chiesi's rare-disease therapies to the African continent. The initiative will operate through a Managed Access Program (MAP), a structured pathway designed to provide life-changing medicines to patients with high unmet needs in regions where the drugs are not commercially available.

This partnership represents a significant step toward addressing the stark disparities in healthcare access that leave many rare disease patients in Africa without diagnostic or therapeutic options. By leveraging Veld's specialized expertise in African market access and Chiesi's robust portfolio of orphan drugs, the program seeks to create a compliant and ethical channel for physicians to treat eligible patients on a named-patient basis.

“Veld is truly excited to partner with Chiesi to expand access to rare-disease therapies across Africa,” said Patrick Jordan, Director at Veld Pharmaceuticals GmbH, in a statement. “This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to ensuring that patients with the highest unmet needs are no longer defined by geography, while maintaining the highest standards of regulatory compliance, ethics, and patient safety.”

A Continent in Need: The State of Rare Disease Care in Africa

The challenge this collaboration seeks to address is immense. For the millions living with rare diseases across Africa, a diagnosis is often the beginning of a daunting journey known as the “diagnostic odyssey,” which can last for years. A widespread lack of awareness among healthcare providers, coupled with limited access to advanced diagnostic tools like genetic testing, frequently leads to misdiagnosis or no diagnosis at all.

Even when a correct diagnosis is made, treatment remains largely out of reach. Orphan drugs—pharmaceuticals developed to treat rare medical conditions—are often prohibitively expensive. This, combined with underdeveloped healthcare infrastructure and a patchwork of reimbursement systems, makes them inaccessible for most patients and public health systems on the continent. Furthermore, the logistical complexities of delivering specialized medicines, particularly those requiring a stable cold chain, across vast and sometimes remote territories present a formidable barrier.

Patient support infrastructure is also nascent. Without established patient advocacy groups, comprehensive disease registries, or specialized centers of excellence, patients and their families are often left to navigate their conditions in isolation. This scarcity of epidemiological data makes it difficult for governments and global health bodies to assess the true burden of rare diseases, further hindering investment and policy development.

A Strategic Alliance to Navigate Complexity

The Veld-Chiesi partnership is architected to confront these challenges directly. It pairs a global pharmaceutical innovator with a specialist deeply embedded in the intricacies of the African healthcare landscape.

Chiesi Farmaceutici, a certified B Corp, has made rare diseases a core priority, developing therapies for conditions like alpha-mannosidosis and various lysosomal storage disorders. Their portfolio includes innovative treatments such as Lamzede and Filspari. “Ensuring timely access to innovative therapies for patients with rare diseases remains a core priority for Chiesi,” noted Lawrence Isaacs, Chiesi's Head of Africa & Levant Region. “Through our collaboration with Veld, we are supporting responsible access pathways that align with local healthcare systems and regulatory frameworks across Africa.”

This is where Veld Pharmaceuticals’ unique model becomes critical. Positioned as a “one-stop solution organization for rare diseases and orphan products in Africa,” the company was built to navigate the continent's fragmented market. With a headquarters in Switzerland and operational hubs in Tunisia, Côte d'Ivoire, and Cameroon, Veld has established a footprint across Western, Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa. Its services extend beyond logistics to include market analysis, regulatory compliance, and patient support programs designed to provide education, assistance with access, and adherence support.

The Managed Access Program: A Pathway Through the Labyrinth

The core mechanism of the collaboration is the Managed Access Program (MAP). A MAP provides a formal, regulated pathway for physicians to request unapproved or unavailable medicines for individual patients who have exhausted all other treatment options. This is not a clinical trial, but a treatment-focused program for serious conditions.

Implementing such a program across Africa is a monumental task. The continent is home to over 50 countries, each with its own national drug regulatory authority, import laws, and ethical guidelines. A strategy that works in South Africa may be entirely unfeasible in Nigeria or Kenya. Veld’s role is to manage this complexity, ensuring that each request and delivery complies with local rules.

Under the agreement, Veld will administer the entire MAP process. This includes facilitating requests from physicians, ensuring patients meet defined medical eligibility criteria, and managing the complex logistics of importation and last-mile delivery. Crucially, the program will be conducted in full accordance with local pharmacovigilance requirements, meaning robust systems will be in place to monitor and report any adverse effects, ensuring patient safety remains paramount.

The Question of Sustainability and Funding

While the program opens a vital door, the question of funding remains central. The press release specifies that access will be provided where “appropriate funding mechanisms are in place.” This acknowledges the reality that the high cost of orphan drugs cannot be ignored.

These funding mechanisms are expected to be diverse. They may include direct payment from patients or their families who have the means, coverage from private insurance schemes, or support from government health budgets in countries with provisions for such treatments. More commonly, funding may be a blended model involving contributions from charitable organizations, NGOs, and patient advocacy groups that fundraise specifically for these causes. The program's structure allows for this flexibility, enabling Veld to work on a case-by-case basis to identify and secure a viable funding pathway for each eligible patient.

Long-term sustainability will depend on the program's ability to demonstrate value—not just in improved health outcomes, but in socio-economic benefits. By collecting data and building local capacity, the initiative could serve as a model that encourages greater investment from both public and private sectors, potentially paving the way for more permanent and widespread access solutions in the future.

For now, the focus is on providing a compliant, patient-centric lifeline. Physicians and healthcare professionals seeking information on the program, including patient eligibility and specific therapies, are directed to contact Veld Pharmaceuticals directly.

Patients and their caregivers are advised to consult their treating physician to determine if this program may be an option for them.