Read the Conversation
Conversation highlights:
- Introducing Dr. Jasvanti Bhana: With over three decades of experience spanning clinical practice, multinational pharmaceuticals, and local manufacturing.
- The Access Imperative: Bridging the gap between innovative medicines and the South African population.
- Manufacturing Reality Check: While local manufacturing is a national priority, the sector faces significant hurdles regarding skills shortages, resource limitations, and the complexity of biologic production.
- The "Existential Opportunity": The importance of retaining a direct footprint in South Africa for the country’s status as a gateway to the continent.
- Partnering for modern policies and regulation for South Africa’s current needs: IPASA aims to partner with the Department of Health and SAHPRA to modernize pricing mechanisms and streamline regulatory pathways to ensure sustainable healthcare access.
EF: With a diverse 24-year history spanning multinational corporations, local manufacturing, and industry associations, what motivated you to take the helm at IPASA, and what is your primary mission?
JB: My career has always been driven by a dual perspective. I spent 14 years with AstraZeneca and later Bristol-Myers Squibb, managing portfolios across South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. I then transitioned to Adcock Ingram, a leading local manufacturer, which provided six years of invaluable experience in the operational realities of the local market, and then followed a tenure at the Generic and Biosimilar Medicines of Southern Africa (GBMSA).
I returned to the innovative sector because I believe there is a need for patients to have better access to innovative medicines. The South African healthcare system is bifurcated, with approximately 9 million people covered by private insurance and the vast majority relying on the public sector, where access to innovative medicines is limited. Whilst our members of innovative pharmaceutical companies work tirelessly to bring these global breakthrough treatments to South Africa, helping to prevent disease, manage chronic conditions with dignity, and offer new hope where none existed before, and advance national health priorities. However, far too many patients in South Africa continue to face significant barriers to timely access.
My mission for 2026 is clear: we must make innovation accessible. There is no value in innovation if it does not reach the patient who needs it most. Furthermore, the innovative sector sets the pipeline for the country; without these products entering the market, the generic sector cannot eventually offer alternatives. We need to entrench innovative companies in South Africa to ensure broader population access.
EF: What trends are you seeing regarding multinational footprints in South Africa, and what are the implications for the market?
JB: We need to foster a trend where innovative companies can grow their local presence and increase the breakthrough medicines they bring to the country, as opposed to handing them over to local distributors, which is an increasing trend. This is the only way to expand the transfer of science and innovation. South Africa has traditionally been the entryway to the Southern African region and the continent, supported by an infrastructure base that is more developed than that of many of our neighbors.
We need innovative companies to weather the storm and remain directly invested here. IPASA’s priority is to demonstrate that South Africa remains a viable, vibrant market for innovation, rather than just a distributor market.
EF: How is IPASA engaging with stakeholders to ensure sustainable healthcare financing?
JB: The National Health Insurance represents a necessary shift toward universal healthcare, which we fully support. The current private healthcare model is becoming prohibitively expensive and unsustainable. Whether through the current NHI structure or a hybrid model, we must find a way to fund healthcare for the wider population.
IPASA requires a seat at the table to discuss pricing models that allow for broader access to innovative medicines. South Africa’s Single Exit Price (SEP) mechanism has been in place for 20 years. When pricing is not flexible, companies do not register or launch new chemical entities. We need to explore affordable reimbursement models that allow broader access to innovative medicines.
EF: You emphasized the G20 and B20 focus on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). How is this shaping the local healthcare agenda?
JB: While communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS and TB remain critical, the burden of NCDs like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, renal disease, and oncology is increasingly outpacing them. This is a high-priority agenda for the Department of Health.
The challenge of how the pharmaceutical industry can partner internationally to address these chronic conditions brings us back to access; managing NCDs requires consistent access to effective therapeutics, which reinforces the need for a robust supply chain and, where feasible, local manufacturing capabilities.
EF: As you look toward the end of your tenure, what is the legacy you wish to leave at IPASA?
JB: I want to be remembered for fostering pragmatic partnerships between the industry and the regulator. I have immense respect for the strides Dr. Boitumelo Semete has made at SAHPRA, but she faces significant resource constraints that hamper the speed of registration. I want IPASA to partner with SAHPRA to upscale models like the African Medicines Agency or reliance models to accelerate access.
Secondly, I hope to modernize our pricing framework. If we can find flexible solutions that satisfy both the government’s budget and the innovators' viability, we will have secured a sustainable future for healthcare in South Africa. It is an ambitious goal, but necessary.
