Uganda’s Qcil Bets on Local Production to Widen Sickle Cell Treatment

More than 1,780 patients are registered for chronic sickle cell care at Lira Regional Referral Hospital, yet health officials believe others in rural communities remain undiagnosed. That gap is the backdrop to Ugandan drugmaker Quality Chemical Industries Limited’s push to manufacture a key treatment locally. The company, known as Qcil, says the move should make the medicine more available and affordable while reducing Uganda’s reliance on imports, according to Nile Post Uganda (direct).

The medicine is hydroxyurea, which helps manage sickle cell disease by reducing the frequency and severity of complications, including painful crises. It is not a cure. Sickle cell disease is an inherited condition affecting haemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen around the body. Patients need regular medical attention and access to suitable medicines to manage symptoms and prevent complications.

Local supply, wider ambitions

Rohit Datar, Qcil’s head of business development and private market, said the company had launched locally manufactured hydroxyurea. Speaking at the Lango Regional Sickle Cell Stakeholders Summit 2026 in Lira, he presented domestic production as a way to improve treatment access, cut costs and strengthen the country’s pharmaceutical independence. Those are the company’s expectations; the report gave no production volumes, prices or measured savings for patients.

Local manufacture of hydroxyurea should improve access, lower costs and reduce Uganda’s reliance on imported supplies, according to Qcil’s Rohit Datar.

For Datar, the significance goes beyond adding a locally made medicine. He linked the initiative to Uganda’s ability to respond to long-term public health challenges. But he also stressed the importance of public awareness. Limited knowledge about sickle cell disease, he said, can delay diagnosis, encourage misconceptions and make it harder for people to obtain appropriate care.

The summit brought together Ministry of Health officials, healthcare professionals, implementing partners and community representatives, including cultural and religious leaders from across Lango. Their discussions focused on stronger regional leadership and health systems. Participants called for coordinated community education, testing, timely diagnosis, appropriate treatment and continued follow-up, making clear that medicine supply is only one part of the response.

Getting care closer to families

The Ministry of Health has indicated that it plans to expand access to hydroxyurea progressively through lower-level health facilities. That would bring treatment closer to patients and reduce the distance families must travel for care. Alongside Qcil’s local production, the planned expansion addresses another barrier: where patients can actually obtain the medicine they need regularly.

Stakeholders also emphasised that early diagnosis allows patients to begin suitable management and follow-up. Knowing their sickle cell status can help individuals and families make informed health decisions. The two-day engagement ended with the Uhuru Sickle Cell Run 2026, where Qcil joined patients, families, health workers and other partners to raise awareness and challenge stigma surrounding the condition.

The next developments to watch are the ministry’s planned expansion of treatment through lower-level facilities and whether local manufacturing delivers the availability and affordability Qcil expects. The challenge outlined in Lira extends beyond producing tablets: stronger supply must be matched by earlier testing, informed communities and sustained care for patients already diagnosed, as well as those who have yet to enter the health system.