vaccine production - The African Mirror

Jul

2021

Africa to produce own vaccines

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER AFRICA has taken the first step to wean herself from a dependence on the west for vaccines for COVID-19 and other pandemics. A South African group - The Rubic Consortium - has signed a historic technology transfer and licensing agreement with Dyadic International with the aim of developing and commercializing vaccines throughout the African continent. The Rubic consortium is made up of Rubic was founded by a consortium of public health, medical, academia, vaccine technology, technology transfer and economic sector experts interested in addressing the region’s specific challenges related to vaccine availability and affordability. The implementation of the…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

News Africa should know about

NEWS

SETH ONYANGO, BIRD NEWSROOM KENYA signs an investment deal that will see Nairobi compete to become the financial hub for Africa; Africa’s vaccine production gets yet another shot in the arm, this time from the IFC; Madagascar is to open the world's first 3D-printed school. All in "News Africa Should Know About". Daily, from the bird Newsroom (Nest). Kenya deal with the UK aims to turn Nairobi into Africa’s financial hub Kenya and the United Kingdom were to sign a deal on Tuesday, July 27, that would shore up investment in Nairobi and turn the East African state’s capital into…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

Morocco’s to produce vaccine

COVID-19

MOROCCAN pharmaceutical firm Sothema will soon start production of five million doses a month of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine in the North African country, state news agency MAP has reported. The announcement was made at a ceremony chaired by King Mohammed VI during which the Moroccan government, Sinopharm and Sothema, whose formal name is Société Thérapeutique Marocaine, also signed deals to produce the vaccine in Morocco, which has a population of about 36 million. At the same event, the Moroccan government also signed a deal with Sweden's Recipharm to set up a plant in Morocco to produce other key vaccines.…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Fund for vaccine production in Africa

COVID-19

GLOBAL development groups including International Finance Corp (IFC) said they will explore helping African producers such as Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd boost vaccine manufacturing in Africa, which received relatively few COVID-19 immunizations produced by rich nations. The news comes after the European Union last week promised 1 billion euros ($1.22 billion) to build vaccination manufacturing hubs in Africa. France's President Emmanuel Macron also promised on Friday to help the continent produce more vaccines locally. IFC's partners, including U.S. International Development Finance Corp (DFC), Proparco and German Development Finance Institution, said they will provide financing to manufacturers to strengthen vaccine production…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

Egypt aims to produce vaccines

COVID-19

THE Egyptian government hopes to sign an agreement with China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd before the end of March to manufacture its coronavirus vaccine in Egypt, according to Health Minister Hala Zayed. Talks between the two sides reached "an advanced stage" and Egypt has asked the Chinese government for assistance over the manufacturing price, Zayed said at a joint press conference with the Chinese ambassador in Cairo. The planned agreement would be between Sinovac and Egypt's Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA). Zayed said Egypt hoped to become a centre for manufacturing the vaccine, either for local use or…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

What it will take to produce vaccines in Nigeria: money’s just the first step

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

The Nigerian government recently released N10 billion (about US$26 million) in support of the local production of COVID-19 vaccines. Wale Fatade, from The Conversation Africa, asked Daniel Oladimeji Oluwayelu, a professor of virology, for his views on this and how the country can get full benefits from the money. DANIEL OLADIMEJI OLUWAYELU, Professor of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Ibadan How do you see the federal government’s decision to give N10 billion to support local production of COVID-19 vaccines? I think the allocation of the funds to initiate local vaccine production is a step in the right direction, but I doubt…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Vaccine production in South Africa: how an industry in its infancy can be developed

HEALTH

THE issue of vaccine production has become a topic of hot debate following the approval of treatments for COVID-19. In South Africa, angry exchanges have been spurred by the country’s lagging access to COVID-19 vaccines. JEFFREY DORFMAN, Associate Professor in Medical Virology, Stellenbosch University FRANK KIRSTEIN, Honorary Research Associate / Lecturer; Division of Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town Generally, vaccines are produced by private companies who sell the vaccine under contracts. In some cases, producers will make provisions for access in particular markets. This is sometimes as a condition for receiving early development funding or for…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Global coronavirus cases surpass 90 million in battle on new variant

COVID-19

ROSHAN ABRAHAM and ANURAG MAAN WORLDWIDE coronavirus cases have surpassed 90 million, according to Reuters tally, as nations around the globe scramble to procure vaccines and continue to extend or reinstate lockdowns to fight new coronavirus variants. The new COVID-19 variants discovered initially in the United Kingdom and South Africa are rapidly spreading globally. The novel coronavirus has picked up pace in the past few months with about one-third of total cases registered in the last 48 days, according to a Reuters tally. Europe, which became the first region to report 25 million cases last week, remains the worst-affected area…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

S.A set to be 1st African country to produce COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19

PROMIT MUKHERJEE SOUTH Africa is set to become the first African country to produce COVID-19 vaccine. Aspen Pharmacare has announced that it could start production of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines in South Africa by late March or early April if all approvals are in place. All the vaccines produced will be exported to J&J and will be a part of its global supply inventory, Stavros Nicolaou, Group Senior Executive, Strategic Trade at Aspen, added. "We are going to receive a tech transfer to contract manufacture for them (J&J)... Aspen has current capacity to manufacture up to 300 million doses…