L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals establishes its first subsidiary in Rwanda
LEAF Pharmaceuticals LLC, a global pharmaceutical company with a mission to discover, develop and commercialize innovative and safe therapies for cancer has announced the establishment of LEAF Rwanda Ltd. (LEAF Rwanda), a biotechnology company, headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda.
LEAF Rwanda, a fully owned subsidiary of LEAF Pharmaceuticals, will focus on establishing Rwanda as a hub for biotechnology research and development (R & D) as well as pharmaceutical manufacturing in Africa.
This Kigali headquartered company will work to attract and retain highly qualified biotechnology scientists and clinical researchers from Africa and beyond, in a quest to discover and develop innovative drugs against diseases that predominantly affect the health of the African population. LEAF
Rwanda will partner with LEAF Pharmaceuticals to facilitate advanced skills transfer to the continent, for long term sustainability of a robust biotechnology industry in Africa.
"Historically, innovative lifesaving drugs have taken too long to reach the African population, if at all. A key component of LEAF Rwanda's mission is to focus on expeditiously making available such drugs to the African population," says Founder, President and CEO of LEAF Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Clet Niyikiza.
Since LEAF Pharmaceuticals began operations in August 2014, the company has filed nearly a dozen patent applications to protect its intellectual property. LEAF Rwanda, in partnership with LEAF Pharmaceuticals, anticipates making its first anticancer medicine in Africa starting in 2019.
