“I hate death. I want to save our people.” These words have driven the overall winner of the EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity 2024, 28-year-old Emmanuel Kiyonga, whose cancer and osteoporosis drug discovery has the potential to change millions of lives.
The founder of Raloxifene Solvate Hydrate not only won R100 000 to help him jump through all the regulatory hoops he faces before taking his drug to market; he also earned his university, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) the honour of registering its first patent. SMU’s first ever Intellectual Property registration from research, comes just 21 months after the Patent Office at the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission was established.
SMU was also named the winning university of the EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity 2024 and its Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic and Research, Professor Tandi Matsha-Erasmus, who could not attend, was named the DCV of 2024.
On top of his big prize, Kiyonga took home the Research-Based Business award of R20 000, winning out of a field of four contestants in the category. A total of 599 student businesses entries were received from all 26 universities, whittled down to 165 in the regionals, culminating in 23 finalists.
Ecstatic Kiyonga to use prize money to secure approvals to release the drug to the market
On hearing his named called, an ecstatic Kiyonga leapt onto the stage and danced with delight, saying this was the biggest award of his life.
But his discovery of Raloxifene Hydrochloride Hydrate solvate drug for cancer and osteoporosis has won him multiple awards including the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences of South Africa prize: he won the Young Scientist award.
He told the audience: “When I started doing research at SMU I didn’t have any funding, I was financially excluded. But the Technology Transfer Office asked about my drug, and though I was not a student, they took me in and we submitted for the registration of a patent. It came out in April this year, and helped me to register.”
Raising his EDHE trophy in the air, a passionate Kiyonga declared: “We cannot allow cancer and osteoporosis to win. This victory shows that we are on the path to defeat those diseases. Our mothers, sisters, wives cannot die every day.
“I intend to use this R100K as start-up capital for this project; we need to pursue regulatory approvals from relevant bodies and accelerate the process so that the drug gets to be released to the market as soon as possible.”
Horrific cancer statistics
Pitching his business to the panel of eight judges on 21 November, he said: “During the pandemic, a lot of people died. Science was not ready. Breast cancer and osteoporosis are two leading causes of death in women. Women over 40 are at risk of osteoporosis – there are 200 million sufferers globally with 6 million people affected in South Africa.”
He gave other statistics: In 2020, over 10 million people died of cancer. In 2022 there were 20 million new cancer cases with 9,7 million deaths globally.
He referred to one of his presentation slides: “There is a drug on the market called Raloxifene that is used in the treatment of these two conditions.
Price of existing drug too high
“But it’s too expensive, has poor water solubility and viability (the amount of the drug that reaches the system) and poor efficacy.
“I have a solution. I invented a new drug Raloxifene Hydrochloride Solvate-Hydrate with better performance that offers better solubility; better absorption, better efficacy. I am on the path to commercialisation – we now have a patent.”
Judge Pierre Becker (left), founder of Skeg, asked: “A new drug in the regulatory space is tough. How long before you are commercial?
Kiyonga replied: “I call on you all here in this audience – we have a problem in that there is so much red tape blocking our people from accessing health care. I have a drug that works but I have to go through a number of processes. It’s a challenge. If this drug is to follow the normal route of clinical trials, it can take 10 years before we release it into the market.”
He said he was relying on a new strategy in SAPRAA (Southern African Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs Association) that is introducing a technology which predicts the clinical performance of a drug so it does not have to go through long drawn-out clinical trials.
He further explained:
“The drug Raloxifene is already available. I just modified it, incorporating a water molecule into it. We are in discussions with SAPRAA to see if we can receive an exemption from clinical trials.” He said to ascertain that the product is not harmful, they are carrying out
invivo and cytotoxicity studies on animals to ascertain that this water molecule really enhances the efficacy of the drug.
“But the effect that is guaranteed is the performance: the solubility, dissolution, absorption…”
Efficacy tested
Regarding efficacy, he said he needs to meet with SAPRAA, where provisions are in place to test if the effect is not significant thereby allowing the use of the data of the available Raloxifene as the clinical trial data so he can release his drug to the market.
Judge, Dr Naledi Gallant (right), CEO from the Gamsi Research Institute: “This is amazing. What is your channel to the market? Are you planning to sell this directly to pharmacies? Or are you going to be licencing the patent to pharmaceutical companies?”
Kiyonga: “When you do research, it’s not about money but to change people’s lives. We don’t have the resources as an institution (SMU) where the patent was made. But there are brilliant companies that have these resources. We’ve got the patent, and the data. We are willing to licence the patent to a company and get a commission.
“There’s no point sitting on a drug because you don’t have the resources to manufacture. This drug is going to be injected. It needs serious and sterile manufacturing conditions. We don’t have those resources.”
High praise from DVC
SMU Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Matsha-Erasmus (who was not at the awards ceremony) wrote on the university website: “I would like, on behalf of Council, Executive and Senior Management, and the broader SMU community, to congratulate Emmanuel Kiyonga, a Masters student in the School of Pharmacy.
“His innovation aimed at treating post-menopausal osteoporosis and breast cancer prevention promises to revolutionise clinical management of these post-menopausal conditions.
“Furthermore, I would also like to thank the unwavering support of SMU’s Innovation Evaluation Committee comprising representatives from all five schools, Finance and Legal Offices at SMU; Technology Innovation Agency, the National Intellectual Property Management Office and our industry partners who reviewed the Non-Disclosure Forms through which innovative ideas are submitted and assessed for innovativeness”.
The website also recorded Professor Mapaseka Seheri, SMU Director Research and Innovation: “This product has a huge commercialisation potential, further entrenching SMU’s commitment to research and innovation. This should serve as an encouragement to other students that with dedication and discipline, the sky could indeed be the limit.”
Uganda born
Kiyonga was born in Kampala, Uganda. His parents had no money for school so his mother home-schooled him.
He moved to South Africa in 2009, attending Christian Progressive College in Pretoria. After Matric, he enrolled for a Bachelor of Sciences in Occupation and Environmental Health at SMU, moving to Pharmacy as his second degree then specialising in Pharmaceutics after registering for his Masters of Pharmacy.
His younger sister, Sanyu Kiyonga, also a student at SMU: “I would like to congratulate my older brother Emmanuel – his determination and hard work motivates me to work even harder. I am so proud of him because I know it has not been easy but he managed to pull through.”
Kiyonga’s last word: “My advice for young people starting out is persist, persevere and carry on. Once you have a dream go after it. Put it into action. Always believe in yourself. Sometimes the greatest of ideas come from the least expected encounters. Be disciplined, be determined, stay focused and always work hard.”
Charmain Naidoo is a contract writer for Universities South Africa.