Unitaid announced on March 19, 2026, a US$52.5 million investment to introduce and scale up interventions targeting preeclampsia and anemia in pregnant women across seven African countries, according to a press release by Unitaid. The initiative, called SUPREME, pairs Unitaid funding with the expertise of Amref Health Africa and the Clinton Health Access Initiative. It aims to ensure that more than 10 existing and emerging tools reach women who need them most.
Preeclampsia causes the death of tens of thousands of women and half a million newborns each year. Anemia affects nearly 40% of all pregnant women globally and raises the risk of hemorrhage, preterm birth, and low birth weight. Despite effective and low-cost treatments existing — such as magnesium sulfate, which costs less than one dollar — supply chain gaps, late diagnosis, and undertrained staff prevent access in many low- and middle-income countries. The SUPREME initiative directly targets these barriers.
The initiative will focus primarily on Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Senegal, and Tanzania, with select activities in Nigeria and South Africa. Tools covered include low-dose aspirin, blood-pressure screening devices, anemia diagnostics, and intravenous iron. CHAI will lead efforts to ensure medicines are rigorously tested, reliably supplied, and affordably priced. Amref will lead in-country activities and implementation research to guide scale-up within antenatal care systems.
“No woman should die giving life from complications we know how to prevent and treat,” said Dr. Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid.
Both Amref and CHAI will work with a consortium of technical partners and research organizations to support implementation, evidence generation, and policy uptake. The SUPREME initiative receives additional funding from the Gates Foundation. SUPREME Secure is led by CHAI with the Concept Foundation, WACI Health, the Aurum Institute, and the Burnet Institute, while SUPREME Lifelines is led by Amref with Jhpiego, Solthis, and Market Access Africa.
This work builds on Unitaid’s broader portfolio addressing major causes of maternal and newborn illness and death, including postpartum hemorrhage and vertical transmission of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B, and Chagas disease. Future investments aim to address systemic barriers to product access across the supply chain. The SUPREME initiative represents a coordinated effort to translate financial commitment into measurable improvements in maternal health outcomes across Africa.
