Afrigen, Univercells Group partner to develop first ever African owned Covid-19 vaccine

This week marked a significant milestone for COVID-19 vaccine production on the African continent as pharmaceutical companies Afrigen and Univercells Group signed a new deal to develop the first-ever African-owned COVID-19 vaccine. The partnership aims to address the urgent need for vaccines in Africa and build capacity for local manufacturing. The deal comes a year after the World Health Organization approved South Africa's first mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub, designed to enhance production and access to vaccines on the continent. Petro Terablanche, the managing director at Afrigen, highlighted the key aspects of the collaboration, emphasizing the importance of biotechnology companies coming together to fuel vaccine innovation specific to Africa. The partnership focuses on developing a platform for mRNA COVID vaccine manufacturing on the continent. The technology will be transferred to six other African countries and companies, enabling the production of a vaccine with a higher payload and improved thermostability at temperatures suitable for African settings. While discussing the demand for the African-made vaccine, Terablanche acknowledged the oversupply of COVID-19 vaccines globally. However, he emphasized that the platform's purpose extends beyond COVID-19, aiming to produce vaccines for diseases relevant to lower-middle-income countries. The long-term goal is to create capacity for pandemic preparedness and local manufacturing in multiple countries across the continent. Providing insight into Afrigen's progress since the establishment of the mRNA technology transfer hub, Terablanche highlighted significant achievements within a year. The company has invested in training, capacity building, and facility setup to produce the first Africa-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate within six months of the program's announcement. The vaccine candidate has shown promising results in pre-clinical studies and is progressing towards clinical trials. Addressing the need for additional funding, Terablanche expressed gratitude for the support received thus far, indicating that 85% of the budget for the five-year program has been secured. The remaining funds are required to support the technology transfer to other African countries and facilitate the scale-up of vaccine manufacturing capabilities. The partnership between Afrigen and Univercells Group signifies a significant step towards achieving vaccine sovereignty in Africa. By leveraging innovative technologies and fostering local manufacturing capacity, the collaboration aims to address the continent's healthcare needs and contribute to global efforts in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.