The initial start-up donation of hydroxyurea to the Government of Ghana by Novartis. Novartis produced 500mg capsule of HU and submitted it to Ghana Food and Drugs Authority registered the medicine for the specific indication of SCD in October 2018.

The Sickle Cell Foundation of Ghana (SCFG), a partner in the Public-Private Partnership was tasked to develop the Ghana-Novartis Hydroxyurea-for-SCD Program. The program was named the “Ahodwo” meaning a “Program for Relief” in Twi, one Ghanaian language.

A team of Ghanaian Sickle Cell Disease experts developed an HU-for-SCD dose-escalating, maximum tolerated dose Ahodwo Protocol adapted for Ghana.

In order to register and guide Healthcare Professionals on the protocol, register all subjects, assist with dosing calculations, and monitor the entire program, a secure, smartphone-based mobile application, Ahodwo Program App, was developed, tested, and deployed to all Healthcare Professionals in the program. Recording toxicity and reporting all expected/unexpected adverse events were mandated and reportable through the App.

Doctor-nurse-pharmacist teams were recruited and trained from 11 Treatment Centres from different regions in Ghana and began distribution of HU in early 2020. The number of Treatment Centres expanded to 21, and additional centres were expected to be onboarded by the end of 2022.

A Steering Committee comprising clinician leaders of the Treatment Centres was established. The Steering Committee held bi-weekly online review meetings for the first year and monthly thereafter. All Healthcare Professional teams met every quarter.

A hydroxyurea monitoring and evaluation program was designed to assess the success and challenges of the program and to help design the program to be increasingly successful, moving forward. This was to be particularly needed as the program would be further scaled up to include additional health centres in regions across Ghana.

On June 19, 2019, World Sickle Cell Day, an historic airlift delivery of hydroxyurea was made to an 11-year-old Sickle Cell Warrior by Zipline Medical Drone technology. It was the first time that the boy and his mother had been spared the challenge of traveling many miles to the capitol city for treatment.

Professor Ohene-Frempong, President of the Sickle Cell Foundation of Ghana, praised Novartis for the extensive support that it has provided, as we attempt to scale up the care given to all living with sickle cell disease in Ghana.

In April 2019, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia launched Ghana’s largest medical drone delivery system in the Eastern region, to improve medical delivery service in the country.

On June, 2022, Vice President Dr. M Bawumia, speaking at a Memorial Service honoring Professor Emeritus Kwaku Ohene-Frempong made a moving announcement that hydroxyurea would be placed on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to ease the financial burden on persons living with sickle cell.