mRNA vaccines - The African Mirror

Jul

2022

South Africa’s Afrigen partners with U.S. on mRNA vaccine research

SOUTH Africa's Afrigen Biologics Limited said that it will collaborate with U.S. government researchers to develop mRNA vaccines and therapeutics. The agreement will enable the sharing of scientific expertise, technical skills and materials with the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to help Afrigen produce mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 and other diseases, said the Cape Town-based biotech start-up. mRNA is the technology used for COVID-19 shots by market leaders such as Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc. Both have declined international requests to share their technology and expertise, citing the complexity of the manufacturing process. Last year, the World Health Organization (WHO)…

Mar

2022

By The African Mirror

How drug companies are sidestepping the WHO’s technology transfer hub in Africa

COVID-19

PHARMACEUTICAL company Moderna announced on 7 March 2022 that it would develop a site in Kenya to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines. The company holds much of the key intellectual property relating to the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. Due to their higher efficacy, mRNA vaccines are the preferred option in developed countries. They account for 92% of all vaccinations to date in the US and European Union. Author DAVID RICHARD WALWYN, Professor of Technology Management, University of Pretoria Moderna’s decision to continue making the vaccine itself, though on the Kenyan site, is a signal that the company (at least for the moment)…

Mar

2022

By The African Mirror

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

COVID-19

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…