Axmed

Axmed is a Basel‑based health‑technology venture building a B2B medicines marketplace and advisory service that aims to expand affordable access to high‑quality medicines across low‑ and middle‑income countries (LMICs).[5][2]

High‑Level Overview

Axmed runs a digital medicines platform that aggregates demand from institutional buyers and directly connects them with vetted manufacturers while offering advisory services to governments and industry players in LMICs.[5][2] The platform’s stated mission is to make high‑quality medicines accessible and affordable to underserved populations by consolidating fragmented procurement, improving supply‑chain transparency, and driving cost savings for buyers and market access for suppliers.[1][3] In practice the company serves institutional healthcare buyers (ministries of health, hospitals, NGOs) and pharmaceutical manufacturers, and reports platform savings in pilot deployments and partner procurements (CB Insights cites average buyer savings of 20–30% in 2024 with some products showing larger reductions).[2][1] Growth momentum includes partnerships with more than 60 organizations across the medicines value chain, grant funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, public deployments in multiple LMICs, and recognition in impact startup lists.[1][2][5]

Origin Story

Axmed was founded in 2023 and is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, with founding leadership that includes Emmanuel Akpakwu (CEO) and co‑founders Sofia Radley‑Searle and Felix Ohnmacht, among others.[2][3] The company emerged from a belief that access to essential medicines is a universal right and from experience observing fragmented, inefficient procurement in LMIC health systems; that insight drove the team to build a two‑sided marketplace plus advisory services to address both market access and systems problems.[3][5] Early traction came quickly: platform pilots and deployments produced measurable cost savings for procurers, attracted strategic partners (logistics and manufacturers), and secured catalytic grants including from the Gates Foundation that supported scaling efforts and credibility-building in government engagements.[2][1]

Core Differentiators

• Demand aggregation at scale: Axmed emphasizes consolidating institutional demand across countries and buyer types to create purchasing power and lower unit costs for procurers.[1][2]
  - End‑to‑end marketplace with services: Beyond matchmaking, the platform offers logistics coordination, regulatory compliance support, quality assurance and advisory services to reduce barriers for both buyers and sellers.[4][5]
  - Focus on LMICs and equity: The company explicitly designs its product and partnerships to serve low‑resource systems, positioning equity and system strengthening as core outcomes rather than secondary benefits.[1][3]
  - Verified supplier network and traceability: Axmed stresses vetting manufacturers and providing traceability and transparency across the supply chain to reduce stockouts and ensure quality.[4][1]
  - Early institutional validation: Grants from the Gates Foundation and uptake by ministries and major buyers provide signal value that differentiates Axmed from smaller or purely local intermediaries.[1][2]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Axmed rides the convergence of digital marketplaces, supply‑chain digitization, and global‑health systems strengthening: by applying marketplace mechanics and logistics orchestration to pharmaceuticals, it targets chronic inefficiencies that raise prices and cause stockouts in LMICs.[1][4] Timing favors Axmed because global health funders and governments are increasingly investing in resilient procurement systems, and demographic shifts mean most population growth in the coming decade will be in LMICs where medicine demand is rising.[1] Market forces in its favor include growing donor and philanthropic funding for access initiatives, advances in traceability and cold‑chain logistics, and manufacturer interest in new markets without heavy distribution investments.[1][2] If successful at scale, Axmed can influence suppliers’ distribution strategies, reduce dependence on fragmented intermediaries, and push procurement toward more transparent, data‑driven processes.

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Near term, expect Axmed to continue scaling platform deployments with national procurers, expand supplier coverage for priority product categories (e.g., MNCH products), and deepen logistics and compliance integrations to reduce last‑mile barriers—efforts already indicated by partnerships and pilot savings reported in 2024.[2][1][4] Key trends that will shape their trajectory include donor funding cycles (e.g., Gates Foundation support), competition from other digital procurement players, and the speed at which LMIC governments adopt digital procurement rules and e‑procurement platforms.[1][2] If Axmed sustains measurable procurement savings and delivery reliability, it can shift procurement norms in LMICs by making aggregated, transparent purchasing the default—tying back to its opening mission of making high‑quality medicines affordable and accessible at scale.[5][1]