First-of-its-kind vaccine manufacturing facility shipped to Africa

pharmafile | April 8, 2022 | News story | Medical Communications  

KeyPlants announced the shipping a first-of-its-kind vaccine manufacturing filling facility to Senegal, in West Africa. After the facility is installed and becomes fully operational later in 2022, it will be the only regional manufacturing hub on the continent outside of South Africa capable of producing finished COVID-19 and other life-saving vaccines. 

The shipment of the facility is an important step towards realising the vision of Project MADIBA, led by Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD), a non-profit foundation concerned with promoting public health and well-being in Senegal and throughout Africa. 

The African Union and Africa CDC has identified vaccine manufacturing as a priority to address vaccine inequity to the continent, setting a target to manufacture 60% of African vaccine supply by 2040 and vaccine autonomy by 2060.

Project MADIBA is a critical first step in achieving this goal, with this facility to serve as a blueprint for future vaccine manufacturing facilities to be built across Africa. 

The project enjoys strong support from the government of Senegal, Africa CDC, WHO, CEPI and other partners and is supported by a global collaboration of funders and companies. These include KeyPlants and MEDInstill, which provides the novel vaccine manufacturing equipment utilised in the facility.

Dr Amadou Sall, Director of Institut Pasteur de Dakar, commented: “Over a year after lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines were made broadly available to high-income countries, only 15 percent of Africa has been fully immunised. Against this backdrop, IPD remains focused on our vision to build and operate a vaccine manufacturing facility in Senegal that can produce vaccines for Africa as soon as possible.”

With the capacity to produce up to 300 million COVID-19 vaccine doses annually, Project MADIBA aims to revolutionise access to vaccines in Africa and implement a safe, financially sustainable, and autonomous infrastructure to secure vaccine access and equity for Africa.  

The facility has multi-suite drug substance and fill-finish capabilities, giving Project MADIBA the flexibility to facilitate the manufacture of additional therapeutics beyond mRNA vaccines, and meet changing global health needs.

 

Ana Ovey

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