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How trying to copy a COVID vaccine changes the outlook for African countries

How trying to copy a COVID vaccine changes the outlook for African countries

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced the first six African countries that will receive technology to produce messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. This comes off the back of the news that a South African consortium – part of the WHO’s technology transfer hub set up in 2021– had successfully replicated Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. Ina Skosana spoke to Professor Kelly Chibale about the significance of the replication of the vaccine and what the next steps are. Author KELLY CHIBALE, Professor of Organic Chemistry, Neville Isdell Chair in African-centric Drug Discovery & Development, and Director of the Holistic Drug Discovery and Development…
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South Africa’s Biovac to start making Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in early 2022 – exec

South Africa’s Biovac to start making Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in early 2022 – exec

SOUTH Africa's Biovac Institute will start making Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine early next year after receiving the drug substance from Europe, according to a Pfizer executive. Biovac's "fill and finish" deal with Pfizer, announced in July, will make it one of the few companies processing COVID-19 shots in Africa, where many countries have struggled to access sufficient doses during the pandemic. "We expect that the Cape Town facility will be incorporated into our supply chain by the end of this year," Patrick van der Loo, Pfizer regional president for Africa and the Middle East, told a conference in Kigali on vaccine…
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FACTBOX-What COVID-19 vaccine and drug makers have to say about Omicron

FACTBOX-What COVID-19 vaccine and drug makers have to say about Omicron

THE Omicron variant of the coronavirus has sparked fears that existing COVID-19 vaccines and treatment could be less effective against it. South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases said early epidemiological data suggested Omicron was able to evade some immunity, but existing vaccines should still protect against severe disease and death. Here's what companies that make COVID-19 vaccines and drugs have said: MODERNA CEO Stéphane Bancel has warned that COVID-19 vaccines are unlikely to be as effective against the Omicron variant. The company has said a new vaccine tailored for Omicron should be available as soon as March. PFIZER-BIONTECH "We…
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Algeria to start Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine production

Algeria to start Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine production

ALGERIA will start production of COVID-19 vaccine Sinovac in partnership with China with the aim of meeting domestic demand and exporting the surplus, the prime minister's office has announced. The government has said production capacity will stand at one million, two million and three million doses in October, November and December respectively, before reaching five million doses per month from January. The North African country has been importing vaccines, mainly Sinovac, since the coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020. The government aims to vaccinate 70% of Algeria's 45 million people. The Sinovac vaccine will be produced in the eastern city…
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EXCLUSIVE: WHO-backed vaccine hub for Africa to copy Moderna COVID-19 shot

EXCLUSIVE: WHO-backed vaccine hub for Africa to copy Moderna COVID-19 shot

WENDELL ROELF EFFORTS to develop an African base for COVID-19 vaccine production will focus on trying to replicate Moderna's shot, but a lack of progress in talks with the U.S. company means the project will take time, a senior WHO official told Reuters. The drive to produce vaccines in Africa is designed to help more developing countries access COVID-19 shots after rich nations bought up most of this year's supply. Moderna said last October it would not enforce patents related to its shot during the pandemic, raising hopes that other companies might be able to copy it and help boost…
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S.A approves vaccine for children 12 and up

S.A approves vaccine for children 12 and up

SOUTH Africa's health regulator has approved Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for use by children aged 12 and older, paving the way for the government to offer vaccinations to teenagers. The South African Health Products Authority (SAPHRA) said the decision came after a review of updated safety and efficacy information submitted in March this year. After a bumpy start, South Africa's vaccination campaign has ramped up in recent months with a solid supply of shots secured and just over 12% of its more than 60 million people vaccinated. That puts the country well ahead of others on the continent. However, health insurers…
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Vaccine trials for SA children

Vaccine trials for SA children

CHINA’S Sinovac Biotech will trial its COVID-19 vaccine in children and adolescents in South Africa as part of a global Phase III study, according to Sinovac and its local partner Numolux Group. The study will evaluate the efficacy, immunogenicity and safety of the CoronaVac vaccine on children and adolescents aged 6 months to 17 years, the firms said in a statement. The global trial will enrol 14,000 participants across Chile, the Philippines, Malaysia and Kenya, including 2,000 in South Africa, they said. The trial has been approved by South African drugs regulator SAHPRA, and the first child will be vaccinated…
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Get vaccine or quit, Zim tells workers

Get vaccine or quit, Zim tells workers

GOVERNMENT workers in Zimbabwe who do not want to be vaccinated against COVID-19 should resign, its justice minister has said. The southern African nation has so far vaccinated 2.7 million people, against a target of inoculating two-thirds of its 15 million population by the end of the year. President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government says it has paid for 12 million COVID-19 doses from China. Ziyambi Ziyambi said while Zimbabweans would not be forced to get vaccinated, those in the public service had a responsibility to protect the public by getting COVID-19 shots. "We are not forcing you to be vaccinated but…
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Canada to donate vaccines to African countries

Canada to donate vaccines to African countries

CANADA will donate more than 1.3 million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine to three African countries through the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility, GAVI said on Thursday. Nigeria, Kenya and Niger will receive the first shipments of the COVID-19 vaccines on Thursday, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) said. The COVAX facility, backed by the World Health Organization and GAVI, aims to secure 2 billion vaccine doses for lower-income countries by the end of 2021.
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Kenya and Ghana to get vaccines from the US

Kenya and Ghana to get vaccines from the US

THE United States will begin shipping more than 2 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine to Kenya and Ghana on Wednesday through the COVAX global distribution program, a White House official said. The United States is sending 880,460 doses to Kenya and 1,229,620 doses to Ghana, the official said, the latest instalments in a U.S. vaccine diplomacy push that has sent vaccines to dozens of countries. The doses will be delivered through the COVAX facility, jointly run by the World Health Organization and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI). Africa has lagged sharply behind other regions in vaccinating…
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