AFRICA — The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has pledged a US$40 million investment to drive the development of mRNA technology and production in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
The primary goal of this initiative is to empower these nations to create cost-effective, high-quality vaccines on a large scale.
Speaking at the foundation’s Grand Challenges annual meeting in Senegal, BMGF co-chair Bill Gates urged a global commitment to allocate an additional US$3 billion annually for global health research and development (R&D) to bridge the critical funding gaps for neglected diseases.
Gates emphasized that while new health technologies hold the potential to save countless lives, R&D funding often falls short in the areas that need it most.
“New health technologies have the potential to save millions of lives, but R&D funding is going in the wrong direction,” Gates emphasized.
“Donors need to step up their commitments to ensure health innovations reach those who need them more quickly, so more lives can be saved.”
Despite a general increase in health R&D funding, only about 2% of it is devoted to addressing diseases that predominantly affect the world’s most vulnerable populations.
The Gates Foundation recognizes the significant role that mRNA technology can play in developing vaccines for infectious diseases commonly found in the global south, such as tuberculosis and malaria.
The newly announced US$40 million grant is aimed at enhancing the capabilities of African research institutions with vaccine manufacturing experience, providing them with access to Quantoom Biosciences’ cost-effective mRNA research and manufacturing platform.
Within this allocation, Quantoom Biosciences will receive US$20 million to facilitate access to next-generation mRNA health tools, while the Institut Pasteur de Dakar in Senegal and South Africa’s Biovac will each receive US$5 million to strengthen their capacity to develop vaccines tailored to combat local diseases.
An additional US$10 million will be designated for other LMIC vaccine developers who have yet to be identified.
Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate, Nigeria’s Minister of Health and Social Welfare and a global expert on vaccines, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, highlighting its potential to expand access to vital health technologies and aid African countries in developing vaccines tailored to the needs of their populations.
This collaboration also promises significant cost savings, with the production cost of a vaccine through Quantoom’s platform potentially dropping to nearly half that of vaccines produced using traditional mRNA methods.
“Innovation can be transformative, but only if it reaches the people who need it most,” noted Morena Makhoana, CEO of Biovac.
“This collaboration will help close critical gaps in access to promising mRNA vaccines against diseases that disproportionately affect the world’s poorest. It will also assist us in our mission to establish end-to-end vaccine manufacturing capability at scale in Africa for global supply.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Africa was marginalized in the race for vaccines.
In response, the African Union adopted a New Public Health Order in September 2022, setting an ambitious goal of meeting up to 60% of the continent’s vaccine demand through regional manufacturing by 2040. Presently, the continent only produces 1% of the vaccines used in Africa.
For all the latest healthcare industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, and YouTube Channel, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook.
