Drug companies are assuming a key role in Africa’s green economy, drawn in by a public emergency but sustained by demand for commercial solutions.

• The mpox outbreak spreading from DR Congo across the globe is accelerating the need to include pharmaceuticals in the continent’s climate response.

New dimension: The link between climate change and mpox is increasingly well documented.

• Human activity linked to environmental changes are elevating transmission risks, studies found.  

• The World Health Organisation says climate stress is changing animal behaviour, leading to more frequent disease transmission. 

• Researchers predict 4,000 new interspecies viral transmissions in the coming half-century. 

Painful fact: No African nation is able to make the vaccines needed to curb the spread of mpox and similar diseases.

• Africa imports over 70% of its medicines. The overreliance on imports hinders disease responses. 

• Vaccine shortages are aggravated by irregular distribution, especially in crisis regions.

• Many countries also lack regulations to ensure vaccines meet global standards.  

Industrial complex: The mpox crisis, with more than 100,000 infections, unfolds against a backdrop where pharma players face increasing pressure to become more climate-positive. 

• The pharmaceutical sector is said to have a carbon footprint larger than the automotive sector. 

• It accounts for 4.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. 

• To meet the Paris Agreement, the sector must reduce emissions by 59%.

Growing reaction: Global pharma giants are increasingly responding to climate events, including in Africa. 

• Danish pharma firm Bavarian Nordic is rushing its pox vaccine MVA-BN to hotspots.

• Danish rival Novo Nordisk has used 100% renewable energy since 2020.

• Swiss drugmaker Roche will eliminate all greenhouse emissions by 2050. 

• UK competitor AstraZeneca will invest $1 billion in a zero-carbon strategy. 

You might say: Easy to do… when earning billions every quarter. 

• True. But it shows the pharma giants are prepared to spend the money.

• They do understand ecological disruptions threaten traditional ingredient sources and supply chains. 

Home front: African drugmakers are now following suit, despite local difficulties. 

• An African Pharmaceutical Technology Foundation was launched to promote sustainable manufacturing.

• Kenyan Universal Corporation Limited (UCL), the first African manufacturer of WHO-approved antimalarial drugs, is investing in sustainability. 

Service providers: Even medical transport firms now focus on solving for the link between climate change and healthcare.

• Kuehne+Nagel, a health logistics leader, is optimising routes for sustainability, reducing emissions 33% by 2030 and upgrading cold chains to weather more heat. 

• Ceva Logistics, a competitor, is remodelling pharmaceutical delivery to be more appropriate for a climate-challenged age. DHL has already done so. 

For profit: Investors increasingly recognise the commercial opportunities in Africa's growing pharma industry, not despite but because of climate change, including from telemedicine.

• Pharma firms and health groups will spend $1.2 billion on the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator to produce more vaccines in Africa. 

• German’s BioNTech's mRNA Vaccine Initiative will be manufacturing in Rwanda to enhance local capabilities and improve access to essential drugs across Africa. 

Innovation driver: Startups on the continent are paying attention. 

• Kenya's Drop Access deploys medicine in remote areas via its solar-powered VacciBox, using extended battery storage to keep vaccines in a cold chain. 

• African companies digitising health supply chains have raised $2.6 billion, according to consultancy firm Salient Advisory, mostly in direct distribution, transport & logistics. 

The crux: Currently we still know too little about how climate change impacts disease transmission.  

• Weather can alter the geographic range and population sizes of species that act as reservoirs for mpox and other diseases. More research and technology are needed. 

• As environmental conditions evolve, species may migrate closer to human settlements or adapt in ways that increase their interactions with humans. This can lead to viruses more frequently jumping from animals to us.