Partnering on drug innovation in Africa: The H3D story

Professor Kelly Chibale

Founder and Director, H3D; Chairman and CEO, H3D Foundation

Kelly Chibale is a full Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Cape Town (UCT) where he holds the Neville Isdell Chair in African-centric Drug Discovery & Development. He is also a Full Member of the UCT Institute of Infectious Disease & Molecular Medicine, a Tier 1 South Africa Research Chair in Drug Discovery, founding Director of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Drug Discovery & Development Research Unit at UCT and the Founder and Director of the UCT Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D).

Kelly obtained his PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from the University of Cambridge in the UK (1989-1992). This was followed by postdoctoral stints at the University of Liverpool in the UK (1992-94) and at the Scripps Research Institute in the USA (1994-96). He was a Sandler Sabbatical Fellow at the University of California San Francisco (2002), a US Fulbright Senior Research Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (2008) and a Visiting Professor at Pfizer in the UK (2008).

In 2018, Kelly was recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the World's 50 Greatest Leaders and in 2019 he was named as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans by New African magazine.

Greg Perry

Assistant Director General

Greg Perry joined IFPMA in 2018 and has responsibility for IFPMA’s external outreach and stakeholder engagement in global health topics including innovation, access, and the international regulatory environment.

Prior to joining IFPMA, Greg worked as Executive Director of the Medicines Patent Pool, and as Director General of the European Generic Medicines Association in Brussels. Previously, he worked as a partner in a UK public affairs company as a European Union policy advisor to corporate and NGOs, and before that as a Parliamentary Advisor to EU Parliament members. Greg is a Member of the Advisory Council of the Organization for Professionals in Regulatory Affairs (TOPRA) and is a former member of the Standing Advisory Committee before the European Patent Office (SACEPO). Greg also holds the Golden Cross of Merit of the Republic of Poland.

Dr Jutta Reinhard-Rupp

Head of Merck Global Health Institute

Jutta Reinhard-Rupp is the Head of the Global Health Institute at Merck, based in Switzerland. Her focus is the discovery and development of innovative healthcare solutions for most vulnerable populations such as children and their mothers in developing countries. The disease focus of the institute is on Schistosomiasis and Malaria.

Since January 2008, she has been working at Merck in Switzerland with increasing responsibilities on the implementation of key strategic initiatives in drug discovery and development. In 2011, Jutta implemented the Merck Bioethics Advisory Panel with renowned experts from various fields of bioethics, biomedical law and religious studies. Since 2017, she is the Head of the Merck Global Health Institute steering a comprehensive portfolio including the development of a new pediatric formulation of Praziquantel to treat schistosomiasis in young children, the development of new anti-malarial treatments and new child-friendly diagnostics. She also serves as scientific advisor at various boards, including CouNTDown in the UK, EDCTP, the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership and DZIF in Germany.

Dr Patrice Matchaba

Head, US Corporate Responsibility and President, Novartis US Foundation

Patrice Matchaba, MD is President of the Novartis US Foundation.

Previously, as Novartis Group Head of Global Health & Corporate Responsibility, Patrice helped integrate the Novartis Access Principles where the company seeks to make its medicines & healthcare solutions accessible to all, regardless of geography, income or limitations of local health systems. Novartis aims to reach 50% more patients through these programs by 2025, and plans to increase the number of patients receiving its innovative medicines in LMICs. To further solidify the Company’s commitment to making an impact, under Patrice’s leadership, Novartis issued an industry-first sustainability-linked bond in 2020, bringing these targets into the core of its business operations.

Patrice qualified & practiced as an Obstetrician and Gynecologist in Southern Africa, before joining Novartis in 2000. He completed the Harvard Business School Program of Management Development (PMD) in 2001 & he is a board member of the Natural Capital Coalition. During the past year he sat on the Value Balancing Alliance steering committee & board. These two organizations are recognized as leaders in changing how corporations measure their impact on society by integrating Stakeholder Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) interventions into their core strategy for greater societal impact.

Dr Alfred Tonelli

Head of External Innovation, Global Public Health R&D, Janssen Pharmaceuticals

Alfred (Fred) Tonelli has spent over 30 years leading key functions in drug development for four major Pharmaceutical companies. He is currently Head of External Innovation in Janssen/J&J Global Public Health R&D (GPH), responsible for evaluating and bringing in new technologies and programs. He is the J&J lead on malaria prevention programs and GPH efforts in preventing post-partum hemorrhage and has brought into J&J various programs including HIV point-of care diagnostics, MDR TB and other GPH targeted areas, including the new GPH antibacterial program targeting AMR. Fred joined J&J in 2000 and initially led diverse drug development functions in the US and Belgium in Early Development, including Toxicology, Clinical Pharmacokinetics and ADME- Bioanalytical. Fred also served as VP of External Development for Janssen’s External Research and Early Development Department, and later as a Compound Development Team Leader in the Anti-infective Division, driving late-stage and registration programs before joining Janssen’s GPH Department in 2014. Prior to joining J&J, Fred led similar critical drug development functions at Lederle Laboratories, Wyeth Ayerst and Purdue Pharma. Fred holds a Ph.D. in Toxicology from St John’s University (Queens, NY) with a concentration in pharmacokinetics and completed a sabbatical in Clinical Pharmacology at the Millard Fillmore Hospital in Buffalo, NY.