Senegal is scaling local production of DREPAF, an affordable hydroxyurea medicine for sickle cell disease, including a child-friendly 100 mg formulation. But viral claims that Senegal is the first African country ever to manufacture sickle cell treatment need important context.
A viral social-media graphic is celebrating Senegal as the first African country to locally produce a treatment for sickle cell disease. The underlying development is significant: Senegalese pharmaceutical company Teranga Pharma, working with Drep.Afrique, is producing DREPAF, a generic hydroxyurea medicine designed to make long-term sickle cell treatment more affordable and easier to access.
But the “Africa’s first” headline is too broad. Nigeria has manufactured hydroxyurea locally for years through Bond Chemical Industries, a fact documented by the World Health Organization and peer-reviewed research. Senegal’s breakthrough is better understood as a major new step in local pharmaceutical production, affordability and paediatric access—not the first time hydroxyurea has ever been manufactured on the continent.
What is DREPAF?
DREPAF is a locally produced generic version of hydroxyurea, also known as hydroxycarbamide. It is a disease-modifying medicine used in the management of sickle cell disease. Teranga Pharma produces the medicine in Senegal through a partnership with Drep.Afrique.
According to Drep.Afrique, DREPAF received marketing authorisation in Senegal in 2025 and is being distributed in two formulations: 500 mg for older patients and adults and 100 mg for children. Senegal’s APS news agency reports that the paediatric capsule can be used from about nine months of age under medical supervision.
The World Health Organization describes hydroxyurea as the principal disease-modifying therapy for sickle cell disease. It can increase fetal haemoglobin and reduce painful crises, acute chest syndrome, hospital admissions and the need for blood transfusions. WHO’s 2026 guidance also stresses the importance of age-appropriate hydroxyurea formulations for children and adolescents.
Key facts about Senegal’s DREPAF programme
- Manufacturer: Teranga Pharma in Senegal.
- Partner: Drep.Afrique.
- Medicine: Generic hydroxyurea for sickle cell disease.
- Formulations: 100 mg paediatric capsules and 500 mg capsules.
- Local production: Manufacturing takes place at Teranga Pharma’s facility near Dakar.
- Goal: Reduce dependence on imported hydroxyurea and make treatment more affordable across Senegal and other African markets.
Why the paediatric 100 mg formulation matters
One of the strongest parts of the Senegal story is the DREPAF 100 mg paediatric formulation. Treating very young children with medicines designed around adult doses can create practical problems with accurate dosing and administration.
WHO published a dedicated target product profile in July 2026 calling for child-friendly hydroxyurea formulations that support flexible weight-based dosing and easier use in low-resource settings. DREPAF’s paediatric formulation directly addresses that access problem.
Agence de Presse Sénégalaise reported that Teranga Pharma designed the formulation to remain stable while being suitable for children from around nine months. That is particularly important in sub-Saharan Africa, where the burden of sickle cell disease is highest and access to age-appropriate treatment remains uneven.
DREPAF is treatment, not a cure
The distinction matters. DREPAF does not cure sickle cell disease. Hydroxyurea is a long-term medicine that can reduce complications and improve quality of life for many patients when appropriately prescribed and monitored.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder in which abnormal haemoglobin can cause red blood cells to become rigid and sickle-shaped. These cells can obstruct blood flow and contribute to severe pain, anaemia, stroke, infections and organ damage.
WHO estimates that about 7.74 million people were living with sickle cell disease globally in 2021, with sub-Saharan Africa carrying most of the burden. Effective care can include newborn screening, vaccination, antibiotics when appropriate, transfusion support, pain management and hydroxyurea. Bone marrow transplantation and newer gene therapies can potentially be curative for selected patients, but remain far less accessible.
Fact check: Is Senegal really Africa’s first?
Not if the claim means the first African country to manufacture hydroxyurea for sickle cell disease.
Nigeria’s Bond Chemical Industries has produced a local hydroxyurea brand called Oxyurea for years. A peer-reviewed review published in BMJ Open in 2020 specifically identified Oxyurea as a locally manufactured Nigerian hydroxyurea product. WHO’s Africa office also stated in 2024 that hydroxyurea was already being manufactured in Nigeria by Bond Chemicals.
Nigeria’s medicines regulator, NAFDAC, has also listed Oxyurea 500 mg capsules manufactured by Bond Chemical Industries in Nigeria.
So why are multiple reports calling Senegal “first”? The more defensible interpretation is that Teranga Pharma is positioning DREPAF as a major Africa-focused local production programme with dedicated adult and paediatric formulations, broad pharmacy distribution and ambitions to supply other African countries. Some current news reports have repeated a “first Africa-made treatment” formulation, but that wording overlooks documented Nigerian manufacturing that predates DREPAF.
Why local production still matters for Africa
The correction does not diminish Senegal’s achievement. Africa remains heavily dependent on imported medicines, and interruptions in supply can leave patients without essential treatment.
AFP reporting published in August 2026 noted that Teranga Pharma is working to expand supply beyond Senegal, with interest from countries including Burkina Faso, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Cameroon.
Local production can shorten supply chains, reduce exposure to currency shocks and create more predictable access to essential medicines. It can also build pharmaceutical manufacturing skills, quality-control capacity and regulatory experience on the continent.
For more reporting on the technologies and companies shaping Africa’s future, explore our Innovations, Tech News and Business coverage.
Affordability could be DREPAF’s biggest impact
Drep.Afrique says its agreement with Teranga Pharma is designed around low-cost production. Reporting from AFP indicates the 100 mg and 500 mg versions are being sold to pharmacies at prices below several imported alternatives.
That could have a meaningful effect on adherence. Sickle cell disease is a lifelong condition, so the cost of treatment is not a one-time expense. Families may need to maintain therapy for years while also paying for consultations, laboratory monitoring and other medical care.
Making the medicine locally is therefore only one part of the challenge. Sustainable access also requires reliable diagnosis, trained clinicians, laboratory monitoring, health insurance or public financing and strong patient education.
What Senegal’s DREPAF breakthrough really represents
The bigger story is not a race to claim who was “first.” It is the emergence of stronger African pharmaceutical manufacturing around a disease that disproportionately affects African families.
Senegal’s DREPAF programme shows what can happen when local manufacturers, clinicians and patient-focused organisations work together to adapt established medicine to local realities. Nigeria’s earlier hydroxyurea production shows that this progress is not happening in only one country.
If both experiences can be scaled—and joined by more African manufacturers—the continent could move from depending heavily on imported sickle cell medicines toward a more resilient regional supply system.
Medical note: Hydroxyurea is a prescription medicine and requires clinical assessment and ongoing monitoring. Patients should not start, stop or change treatment based on social-media posts or news reports.
Sources
- World Health Organization — Sickle-cell disease fact sheet
- WHO — Target product profile for paediatric hydroxyurea formulations
- Drep.Afrique — DREPAF programme
- Agence de Presse Sénégalaise — DREPAF paediatric formulation
- BMJ Open — Hydroxyurea implementation review including Nigeria’s locally manufactured Oxyurea
- WHO Africa — Hydroxyurea manufacturing in Nigeria
