Syringing access to affordable and quality medication

mPharma and Belayab Pharmaceuticals PLC sign franchise agreement to launch Haltons Pharmacies in Ethiopia on Thursday 11th of March,2021.
mPharma has signed a franchise agreement with Belayab Pharmaceuticals PLC to increase patient access to affordable and quality medications in Ethiopia, through its subsidiary, Haltons Limited. Through this agreement, mPharma will leverage its technology platforms, insights, and extensive experience working with hospitals and retail pharmacies across Africa to help Ethiopia achieve universal medical coverage to all its patients.
Through its franchise, mPharma and Belayab Pharmaceuticals aim to open two operational pharmacies in Addis Ababa this year. Headquartered in Ghana, mPharma, a technology driven healthcare company acquired Kenya’s second largest pharmacy chain, Haltons, in 2019, taking control of 27 stores across Kenya. Currently operational in Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, Rwanda, and Kenya, mPharma serves about a million patients every year through over 300 partner pharmacies and provides patients with affordable and high quality medicines in its quest to build an Africa that is in good health.
In Africa, the pharmaceutical market faces challenges such as sprawling supply chains, low order volumes, and exorbitant prices. Millions of Africans continue to die from diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and Hepatitis B; these diseases can be prevented or treated with timely access to appropriate and affordable medicines and other health services. With less than 2% of drugs consumed in Africa being produced on the continent, many sick patients cannot afford to buy the medications they need for treatment. mPharma has been working with drug manufacturers and suppliers to make medicine supply chains more efficient, thereby reducing the financial burden to patients.
Under this partnership, each pharmacy launched will offer Mutti – mPharma health membership program – to patients in Ethiopia. Patients will benefit from discounts on their drugs and financing options that can help alleviate the costs of health care. Mutti will particularly benefit uninsured patients in Ethiopia who pay out-of-pocket for their medication and therefore bear the brunt of high drug prices.
The franchise will see mPharma enter its eighth market in Sub-Saharan Africa and third in East Africa. The partnership has also mentioned its interest in potentially being involved in the Corona virus vaccine provision.
mPharma specializes in vendor managed inventory, retail pharmacy operations, and market intelligence serving hospitals, pharmacies, and patients. It was founded in 2013 and currently has network of over 300 pharmacies in our key markets serving more than 100,000 patients each month.
Belayab Pharmaceuticals PLC is a part of the Belayab Group in Ethiopia where the group has companies such as Belayab Foods 9official franchise of Pizza Hut, Coldstone Creamery and Burger King), Belayab Motors (Kia Motors assembler), Belayab Cable (Cable manufacturing company), and Golden Tulip Hotel in Ethiopia. Belayab Pharmaceuticals PLC was founded by Aschalew Belay, Michael Ghebru and Robel Minassie.