For the third consecutive year, Sanofi organizes the Africa Rare Disease Summit in conjunction with World MPS Awareness Day

Howaida Youssef , Tuesday 3 Jun 2025

In recognition of Rare Disease Month, which included the International MPS Day earlier this month and the World Health Assembly at the end of May—where rare diseases were a key topic on the agenda—Sanofi Africa hosted the Africa Rare Disease Summit in Cairo, a landmark medical event that brought together over 250 healthcare professionals from across the African continent.

Sanofi organizes the Africa Rare Disease Summit

The African summit was held in coincides with International MPS Day, reinforcing Sanofi’s mission to elevate awareness and encourage scientific dialogue on MPS and other rare lysosomal disorders, which continue to be a significant challenge in terms of diagnosis and access to care across the region.

The objective of this third edition of the Africa Rare Disease Summit is also to promote experience sharing among the 250 experts from 6 countries (Egypt,Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and South Africa) regarding the care and treatment of the main conditions that fall under the category of rare diseases.
There is an urgent need to improve diagnosis, expand access to care, and offer holistic support to patients and their families

Prof. Dr. Azza Tantawy
Professor of Pediatrics and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Ain Shams University and President of the Egyptian Scientific Foundation of Rare Diseases in Children.
“I’ve seen children diagnosed with Gaucher disease grow into healthy, thriving adults' proof of what awareness, timely diagnosis, and accessible treatment can achieve”.

Sherif Roushdy
Sanofi Africa Medical Head
“It is a true honor to host this important summit, in conjunction with International MPS Day—a meaningful occasion that sheds light on the challenges faced by patients living with lysosomal storage disorders and other rare conditions. At Sanofi, we are firmly committed to improving the lives of rare disease patients across Africa through scientific innovation, collaboration, and trusted partnerships with healthcare professionals and patient communities”.
Diagnostic delays and limited access to care remain major concerns for patients and their loved ones. That’s why we have several initiatives across Africa addressing the most critical challenges, including:
* Strengthening awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals
* Improving diagnostic tools
* Promoting research and the development of new treatments through collaboration between researchers, shared registries and databases, and the deployment of clinical trials
* Expanding access to therapeutic solutions for better patient care
It's worth mentioning Sanofi’s Rare Humanitarian Global Program, established in 1991, exemplifies this commitment by providing free treatment to patients who would otherwise have no access. To date, more than 3,500 individuals in over 100 countries have benefited from this initiative.
Sanofi works alongside patient associations, supporting them in better addressing the medical needs and expectations of patients, in partnership with EURORDIS, the international federation of rare disease patient organizations.

Adrien Delamare-Deboutteville
Head of Africa Pharma and Country Lead Egypt
“Across Africa, we are witnessing the power of collaboration in shaping sustainable healthcare solutions. This third standalone summit is a reflection of our continent’s leadership while confirming Sanofi’s commitment to delivering innovative solutions through cutting-edge technology tailored to African realities.
Moreover, I highly value the participation of Africa at the World Health Assembly (WHA) for Rare Diseases Resolution such as Egypt being recognized by the WHO for its leadership and co-sponsoring the initiative.