Government-backed Biovac has said that investment in local products was critical, and paying a premium to emerging African vaccine manufacturers for their products would ensure growth in the industry and protect the continent against future pandemics, reports BusinessLIVE.
The price of locally produced vaccines was highlighted last month after the Health Department turned down Biovac’s pneumonia vaccine in favour of cheaper jabs from India by Indian generic pharmaceutical manufacturer Cipla’s local subsidiary.
The news was disappointing for Biovac, which had partnered with pharmaceutical company Pfizer to make the shots in Cape Town, expecting that the vaccines would be procured by the Health Department.
“We can’t expect (a) risk reduction for vaccine access without investing in it before the time,” said Biovac head of science and innovation Patrick Tippoo, speaking at the virtual launch of a report on the challenges facing African vaccine manufacturers.
He said emerging players needed a guaranteed market for their products.
“Advance purchase agreements are necessary to incentivise investments in manufacturing capability, infrastructure and workforce development. This includes African governments as well as Gavi (the Global Access to Vaccines Initiative), which supplies 1.6bn doses to Africa each year.
“We also need this continent’s countries to look at their role and offer predictable demand– that’s what establishes a compelling business case for investment,” he added.
The report was compiled by the UK charitable foundation Wellcome, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Biovac.
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