Since 2013, The World Health Organisation has received 1500 reports of substandard or falsified products. Of these, antimalarials and antibiotics are the most commonly reported. Most reports (42%) come from the WHO African Region. This shows that many medicines sold in some African countries are either counterfeit or substandard. These fake drugs, which range from ineffective to deadly, make an already fragile healthcare system even more dangerous, claiming thousands of lives each year.
Vivian Nwakah, a Nigerian-American entrepreneur, realised that the Nigerian pharmaceutical market was unregulated and a breeding ground for this problem. Thus, she developed a viable solution- Medsaf, a digital platform that helps hospitals and pharmacies in Nigeria source their medications.
“You will never know how happy Medsaf is to be able to reach rural locations. We worked tirelessly to get to this point, and I’m so proud! But we still have so much more to do.”- Vivian Nwakah, Founder of Medsaf.
Born to Nigerian parents in the United States, Nwakah often visited Nigeria and became aware of the contrasts between its infrastructure and that of the U.S. She pursued her education in a business school at IAE Sorbonne in Paris, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and J.Mack Robinson Georgia State. She is interested in business and healthcare and has worked across various industries, including finance, politics, solar, and healthcare companies.
Vivian became drawn to healthcare after losing a close friend to fake malaria medication. After this nasty experience, she couldn’t stand by idly, watching patients take medicine that might cost their lives. So, she began to dig deeper into the issue of counterfeit drugs in Africa and discovered the terrifying scale of the problem.
The market was flooded with fake or substandard drugs, not because healthcare providers wanted them, but because the system lacked a trustworthy, centralised way to source quality medications, as the supply chain was fragmented. Hospitals and pharmacies were vulnerable to middlemen who sold unreliable products at inflated prices.
This was a clear gap Nwakah decided to fill. In 2016, Nwakah founded Medsef. With Medsaf, healthcare providers can log into the platform and browse through medications from pre-vetted manufacturers. These manufacturers have undergone strict verification to ensure their products meet global safety and quality standards. Once an order is placed, Medsaf handles the logistics, ensuring the safe delivery of medications to the healthcare providers.
MEDSAF has a very robust supply chain unit. Now, we are not bothered to check the source of these suppliers or who’s the manufacturer. Is it genuine or not? Is it original or fake? What is the quality assurance system? Where the products are stored. All of these issues we are not a concern now because MEDSAF takes care of them.- Chief Anil Grover, Managing Director of Grover Medical Centre.
Apart from sourcing medications, Medsaf also provides tools for inventory management, helping hospitals and pharmacies keep track of their drug stock, avoid shortages, and prevent over-ordering. This logistical support ensures that medications are available when patients need them and that resources are used efficiently.
In 9 years, Medsaf has financed over 3 million orders and onboarded 4000+ facilities while maintaining an 87% customer retention rate and 99.9% customer satisfaction.
The work Vivian Nwakah does with Medsaf is her way of ensuring that no African life is lost to fake and substandard drugs. With this, hospitals, pharmacies, and ultimately, patients can now access safe, reliable drugs.
