Axmed and Bio Usawa Partner on Biologic Medicine Access

In Short

Axmed and Bio Usawa announced a strategic collaboration to expand access to affordable biologic medicines across African health systems. The initial focus is ophthalmology and retinal diseases.

What Happened

Axmed is partnering with Bio Usawa to improve how biologic medicines are sourced and delivered in Africa. Axmed runs a technology-enabled procurement marketplace, which is a digital system that helps hospitals and other buyers find products, compare options, and place orders.

Bio Usawa brings African manufacturing capability for biologics, including monoclonal antibodies and biosimilars. Biologics are complex medicines made from living cells, and biosimilars are close, lower-cost versions of existing biologic drugs.

The partnership will start with retinal diseases, where access to advanced therapies is often limited. Bio Usawa’s lead ophthalmology product is BioUcenta, a ranibizumab biosimilar. Ranibizumab is commonly used to treat eye conditions that can cause vision loss.

Under the arrangement, eligible healthcare buyers can use the Axmed platform to search for ranibizumab, review product and purchasing information, choose quantities, and submit orders. Fulfillment and delivery will be handled through the relevant supply and logistics setup for each market, and orders will still depend on local regulatory and purchasing requirements.

Why It Matters

Getting medicines manufactured is only part of the challenge. Many health systems still struggle with fragmented demand, slow procurement cycles, stockouts, and inconsistent pricing.

By aggregating demand and improving procurement efficiency, the Bio Usawa and Axmed collaboration aims to reduce costs and lower supply shortages. For African biomanufacturers, the deal also signals a push to connect “made in Africa” medicines to clearer demand data and smoother distribution pathways.

If the model works for ophthalmology, it could expand to other high-need therapeutic areas where biologics are important but often unaffordable or hard to access across Sub-Saharan Africa.