To Lu Chunming's mind, his business makes the difference between life and death.

Over the past decade, he has traversed more than 20 African regions and countries as he saved the lives of more than 10 million people infected with malaria.

Through his efforts, a series of artemisinin-based anti-malaria drugs developed in China were recognized by the World Health Organization (WTO) as especially effective new medicines in treating malaria and were promoted around the world.

"That is mainly due to the high quality of the drugs developed by our scientists," Lu said, humbly dismissing his role.

Malaria is the No 1 killer disease in Africa. Every year, 90 percent of the 500 million people who contract it are from Africa.

According to WTO data, the disease claims the lives of 3 million Africans each year, half of them, children under age 5 - each minute, two children die from malaria.

Economically, malaria costs 1.3 percent of Africa's GDP annually, according to data from the United Nations.

In Africa, malaria is not simply a health and sanitation problem.

It has become a matter of economy, social stability and even politics. In some African countries, malaria is an important issue candidates address in the presidential election. "Its influence is widespread," Lu said.

Many are the stories about Lu and his "miraculous" drugs. A pregnant woman in Kenya contracted malignant malaria. If treated with traditional quinine-based drugs, the woman would have survived, but there was a huge risk of her having a miscarriage or that the newborn would be deformed.

The woman was treated with Lu's medicine and gave birth to a healthy girl. She named her daughter "Contecxin" - the name of the drug.

"The first time I was in Africa was in 1992. Over all these years, I have witnessed hundreds of patients struggling in the gray region between life and death. I myself have been afflicted with malaria three times," Lu said.

"The more I saw, the more I experienced, the more confident I became in the quality of our products," he said.

Lu is president of Beijing Holley-Cotec Pharmaceuticals Co, which has three subsidiaries - in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. They are highly localized and "capable of covering all the countries in east Africa in sales", Lu said.

Since 2005, Lu's company has donated anti-malaria drugs to 60,000 people in Africa, totaling US$180,000, and participated in more than 70 Africa aid projects sponsored by the Chinese government. Its products are distributed over 30 countries and regions among more than 6 million people.

Lu has set up scholarships in two medical schools, one in Kenya and the other in Tanzania, and has helped more than 200 students complete their university education.

Looking back to the early days, "The most difficult problem was how to run business in a multicultural background, compared with which my early personal hardship was much less significant", he said.

According to Lu, the most difficult time came in 2006, when conflicts arising from cultural differences reached a climax and posed an obstacle to carrying out the company's business.

"You have to become familiar with the local customs and culture. Familiarity will then lead to mutual understanding, and only in this way, can you begin to respect each other," Lu said of his experience.

"It may sound very simple, but it was very hard. I wish it on nobody to relive what I have been through," he said.

According to Lu, more than 80 percent of medicines are currently imported to Africa, but Chinese medicines have only a very limited share of the African market.

"People in Africa have great demand for medicines for daily use. And in China, I have seen an array of excellent medicines developed by Chinese scientists. Through my company, I would like to establish a platform for them to enter Africa's market," Lu said.

"I have become friends with so many people in Africa. In the early days, most of my waking hours were spent with them After all these years, I've developed an affection for the continent and the people there - not as a businessman, but as a man," he said.

(China Daily January 10, 2011)