Raloxifene Hydrochloride Hydrate Solvate could transform treatment for breast cancer and postmenopausal osteoporosis, bringing new hope to millions of women, especially in Africa and across the globe.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in Africa and a leading cause of cancer‑related deaths, with an estimated roughly 198,000 new cases and more than 90,000 deaths on the continent in 2022. WHO data show that new breast cancer cases and deaths in the WHO African region are projected to increase by about 85 % and nearly 90%, respectively, by 2040 if current trends continue. Moreover, osteoporosis quietly impacts countless postmenopausal women, increasing fracture risk and long-term disability.
This research outcome highlights Africa’s growing capacity for scientific innovation. For the continent’s medical community, it provides a rare example of a drug developed on African soil by an African researcher to address health challenges that affect African populations most acutely, with the potential to improve local access to treatment and make therapies more affordable for patients.
This research outcome highlights Africa’s growing capacity for scientific innovation. For the continent’s medical community, it provides a rare example of a drug developed on African soil by an African researcher to address health challenges that affect African populations most acutely, with the potential to improve local access to treatment and make therapies more affordable for patients.
African Currents interviewed Emmanuel Kiyonga, the CEO of Emmaceutics (Pty), Ltd., in Johannesburg, South Africa, about the need for Africa to invest in cancer research and innovation to develop better treatments and prevention strategies.
"Innovation comes from some of the wildest places or ideas. Innovation does not really come from the greatest of places or the greatest institutions. If you can, check out Isaac Newton and how he discovered gravity. He was sitting under a tree. He was not in a lecture hall [...]. Our people are going through so many serious problems, and the solutions are going to come from us. African problems are to be solved by African solutions, and we are the solution [...]. My innovation is not a money-making scheme [...] but is centered around accessibility and cost of treatment. So we want our drug to be accessible to our people," Kiyonga said.
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