African-based Covid-19 vaccine on the cards through technology transfer hub in Cape Town

In an effort to even the playing field in terms of vaccine delivery and production, a collaboration between South African-based consortium Afrigen Biologics and Belgium-based Univercells Group was signed on Tuesday. The partnership will pave the way for the development of the first African-owned Covid-19 vaccine.

A production scientist works with samples during a visit by representatives of the Medicines Patent Pool, France and other European Union member states, at the Afrigen Biologics' site in Cape Town, South Africa, February 3, 2022. REUTERS/Shelley Christians REUTERS - SHELLEY CHRISTIANS

“The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that there is a pressing need to build African capabilities in vaccine development and manufacturing,” said Petro Terblanche, Afrigen managing director, noting that African countries “need access to life-saving vaccines and medicines.”

Afrigen is based in Cape Town.

The African continent as well as poor countries have previously depended on wealthy countries for critical medicines – 99 percent of all vaccines on the African continent are imported.

Two challenges

The companies will collectively tackle two major challenges facing the African continent and the world’s poorest countries – the absence of local cost-effective production, and the need for cold or super-cold chains.

• Nigeria's Buhari chides rich nations over slow Covid vaccination in Africa

• Slow vaccine rollout puts Africa in 'race against time', WHO warns

In terms of cost, the World Health Organization and its partners will provide training and financial support to create trained, skilled workers, and ensure quality control as well as product regulation and licensing.

Once this project is in place, “recipients will be able to contribute to the global effort to increase local vaccine production capacity and may sign agreement with producers or develop vaccines locally,” according to the Afrigen press release.

Currently, a number of the existing mRNA vaccines must be contained in super-cold storage to retain their efficacy, which poses problems for some countries in trying to get the vaccines to rural areas, where electricity is not guaranteed.

The group is developing an mRNA vaccine that can be stored in regular refrigerators, so easier to store and distribute to rural populations without the need for special equipment.

It will also be working with eTheRNA, a technology company that has expertise in dealing with vaccines and cold storage challenges.

Intellectual property

By developing this vaccine using intellectual property from the partners, and developing its own, people on the African continent will get direct access to the vaccine.

This collaboration “is intended to pave the way for the development of the first-ever African-owned Covid-19 vaccine, and in the long term change the way we make mRNA vaccines worldwide,” the group said in its statement.

Ultimately, this partnership could be extended to cover the development for vaccine manufacturing processes for other key diseases.