MAP International recently donated 54,000 vials of intravenous antibiotics to the Bauchi State of northern Nigeria. The donation, valued at $26 million, was made possible by one of MAP’s valuable pharmaceutical partners, The UPS Foundation, and the Bauchi state government.
Cubicin, the donated antibiotic, is used to treat severe bacterial infections that require prolonged hospital admission. Bacterial infections of the bloodstream, soft tissue, and heart valve can be notoriously difficult to treat, and often become highly resistant to oral antibiotics. In such cases, an intravenous antibiotic like Cubicin is necessary. To learn more about these cases, see the following publication detailing a study conducted in 2019 of hard-to-treat infections in Kano State, Nigeria: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6607235/.
A single unit of Cubicin costs approximately $480 in the U.S., an insurmountable sum for the average Nigerian. The Bauchi State government will strategically distribute this medicine to patients most in need, specifically targeting zero income refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs), and will also distribute to other Nigerian states as needed.
MAP International is grateful to all those who played key roles in delivering this life-saving medicine to those in need, including MAP’s pharmaceutical partner, who donated the antibiotics, The UPS Foundation, MAP’s Operations and Distributions Teams, and the Bauchi state government.
The UPS Foundation generously donated the shipping for the Cubicin. This particular antibiotic is temperature-sensitive and shipping it to Nigeria required a cold chain logistical airlift via a charter plane, also donated by UPS, in order to preserve it until it reached its final destination in Bauchi State. The UPS Team in Atlanta, Dubai, and Nigeria were essential in the successful execution of this airlift delivery.
MAP International’s Operations and Distribution Center Teams worked tirelessly to ensure a safe and successful chain of delivery for the donations, and the project would not have succeeded without their dedication and commitment to serving those in need.
The Bauchi State Government also assisted in the coordination of this project. Bauchi State has one of the few cold chain logistics that exist in Nigeria, and they were responsible for supplying the cold chain logistics necessary to preserve the Cubicin once the shipment arrived in Nigeria.
This donation has become an incredible demonstration of teamwork. We are so pleased that this critical medicine will be used to give so many Nigerians a second chance at living life to the fullest.
