The South African pharmaceutical company Aspen, which admitted last May that it was having difficulty selling its vaccines against Covid-19 and was thinking of changing direction, has just announced the upcoming production of routine vaccines. This is thanks to the signing of an agreement with the Serum Institute of India group, one of the world’s largest vaccine producers.
Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, poliomyelitis or even meningitis… the South African company has concluded a ten-year agreement for the production of routine vaccines which will be produced in the Port-Elizabeth plant.
The agreement concluded includes transfers of know-how as well as authorization to market and distribute these vaccines. Aspen also clarifies that there is a good faith commitment between the parties to include, in the future, new products or new versions of products.
Aspen says it anticipated this agreement and is awaiting funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. Objective stated by the firm: to produce vaccines for Africa, and at a competitive price, in order to meet the demand of States and institutions such as GAVIthe Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization established in January 2000, and UNICEF.
Since the Covid-19 epidemic, several initiatives have been undertaken to reduce the continent’s dependence on external supplies. A vaccine production plant is being built in Senegal, for example, another in Cape to South Africa.
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The Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that less than 1% of the vaccines needed by Africans are produced on the continent, “ which creates a significant risk to health safety “.