Innovation at heart of pharmaceutical multinational

In the three years that Frenchman Thibault Crosnier Leconte, country chair of SanofiSouth Africa, has been in the country, his team has achieved pioneering results in the provision of drugs. Sanofihas collaborated with Government, the private sector and start-up companies

South Africa has a unique disease burden being communicable diseases, however non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and mental health are on the rise. Diabetes is the 2nd leading cause of death in South Africa. Adding weight to this healthcare burden, the IDF Africa region has the highest percentage of undiagnosed people—3 in 5 people living with diabetes do not know that they have it. People with diabetes are at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Here lies the challenge for South Africa: health conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease are not isolated to an income group or geographic region. Patients require treatment throughout South Africa. Government, already strained with the task of delivering healthcare to the masses that are not on a medical aid, faces a dilemma. Only 16.4 percent of the South African population (9.4 million people) had medical aid scheme cover in 2018, according to the 2019 General Household Survey (GHS) by StatsSA. Therefore, it is imperative for the private sector to partner with government because government on its own cannot address the challenges of inequitable access to healthcare.

Thibault Crosnier Leconte, country chair of SanofiSouth Africa, shares his ‘realistic optimism’ about the future of South Africa. “While the economic situation is tense, there is a massive potential for growth,” he says. “The new administration is bringing in reforms and is focused on attracting investment to stimulate economic growth.”

Continuous investment