Case study of
#00137 Guarantee the market: pooled procurement, subsidy, prequalification and regional manufacturing
Sub-Saharan Africa
#00136
Implementer
Sanofi Pasteur (manufacturer)
Timeline
Until Jun 30, 2016
Location
Description
FAV-Afrique was a polyvalent antivenom covering ~10 snake species across sub-Saharan Africa, considered safe and effective. Sanofi Pasteur halted production in 2010 (last batch made 2014, expired June 2016) after sales collapsed — undercut by cheaper competitors — with no technical failure. The ~2-year replacement gap was filled by cheaper antivenoms raised against non-African snakes, often ineffective. This case illustrates the specific market failure that pooled procurement, subsidy, and guaranteed volumes are designed to prevent: the product and know-how existed, but the unsubsidised market could not sustain commercial viability.
Metrics
4Funding
Lessons learned
- A quality product was withdrawn solely because unsubsidised demand collapsed — demonstrating that guaranteed procurement and subsidy are necessary conditions, not optional enhancements, for sustaining region-matched antivenom supply.
- The withdrawal created a vacuum filled by cheaper, inappropriate antivenoms raised against non-African snakes, compounding clinical harm and eroding clinician trust in antivenom generally.
- Dependence on a single commercial manufacturer for an entire region is a structural risk; regional manufacturing diversity and pooled procurement would reduce exposure to a single firm's exit decision.
Sources
3Documented Jul 8, 2026
History
· 1Arnaud Gissinger · 1h ago · approved by Arnaud Gissinger 1h ago