BASEL, Switzerland and NAIROBI, Kenya , March 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Axmed, the technology-enabled B2B marketplace transforming access to essential medicines across growth markets, today announced a $7 million long-term supply agreement to support the delivery of quality-assured medicines in Burkina Faso, supporting the country’s participation in the Resiliency through Azithromycin for Children (REACH) programme.
Over the next three years, up to 16 million doses of essential medicines will be delivered to children under five across the country.
The partnership supports a life-saving public health intervention aimed at reducing child mortality caused by common bacterial infections. Each year, hundreds of thousands of children across sub-Saharan Africa die from infections that are both preventable and treatable. Evidence from large, randomized studies, including the landmark MORDOR trial, has demonstrated that twice-yearly administration of azithromycin in high-mortality settings can significantly reduce all-cause child mortality, by lowering the burden of infections such as pneumonia, sepsis, and diarrhoea.
The REACH programme translates this evidence into action by delivering azithromycin to children under five across high-burden settings. Through this agreement, Axmed will help scale this intervention in Burkina Faso, supporting the government’s efforts to expand coverage and reduce preventable child deaths.
Country-Led Execution Powered by Axmed’s Procurement Infrastructure
At a time of significant fiscal pressure across global health systems, this partnership demonstrates how technology-enabled procurement can strengthen government-led health delivery.
The agreement operates directly through Burkina Faso’s national health and procurement ecosystem, preserving government sovereignty while unlocking global market access, competitive pricing, and quality assurance at scale.
Axmed’s digital procurement platform aggregates demand, increases market transparency, and reduces supply chain fragmentation, enabling governments to secure high-quality medicines more efficiently and independently.
“Burkina Faso is showing what’s possible when national leadership is paired with modern procurement infrastructure,” said Emmanuel Akpakwu, Founder and CEO of Axmed. “This agreement demonstrates that even in periods of fiscal constraint, governments can secure quality-assured medicines at scale, faster, more affordably, and with full sovereignty over procurement decisions. This is what durable, country-led execution looks like.”
Efficiency and Quality at Scale
By digitally aggregating demand and connecting the REACH programme to a global network of vetted manufacturers, Axmed’s platform is delivering significant cost savings compared to prevailing market benchmarks, without compromising quality or regulatory standards.
All medicines supplied under the agreement are approved by Stringent Regulatory Authorities (SRAs) and sourced from manufacturers meeting the highest global standards.
“In a fiscally constrained world, every dollar must work harder,” Akpakwu added. “By reducing procurement costs while maintaining the highest quality standards, we enable programmes like REACH to extend their reach and deliver greater impact.”
Felix Ohnmacht, Chief Commercial Officer at Axmed, added:
“Scale should never come at the expense of safety or sovereignty. What we are seeing here is the emergence of a new gold standard for global health procurement, one that gives governments real choice, transparency, and control, while ensuring that medicines delivered to clinics in Burkina Faso meet the same standards expected in leading hospitals anywhere in the world.”
A New Model for Global Health Procurement
This partnership reflects a broader transformation underway in global health procurement.
The traditional model of fragmented, one-off purchasing is giving way to country-led procurement systems that combine transparency, competitive global sourcing, and reliable supply chains.
At a time when global health resources are under pressure, maximizing the impact of every dollar deployed is critical.
By integrating demand aggregation, quality assurance, pricing transparency, and coordinated logistics into a single digital platform, Axmed provides governments, funders, and implementing partners with the infrastructure needed to deliver health programmes faster, more efficiently, and at greater scale.
About Axmed
Axmed is a technology-enabled B2B marketplace and logistics platform that connects buyers, manufacturers, and distributors to streamline procurement and delivery of essential medicines across low- and middle-income countries.
By combining pooled demand, data-driven sourcing, and integrated international logistics, Axmed reduces costs, strengthens supply reliability, and expands access to quality-assured healthcare products.
Learn more at www.axmed.com
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