GHANA —The Serum Institute of India, one of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturers, is in discussions with DEK Vaccines, a Ghanaian company, to establish fill-finish operations for the recently approved Oxford R21 malaria vaccine in Ghana.
The move is part of a broader push to develop local vaccine manufacturing capacity in Africa, which has historically relied heavily on imported vaccines.
Ghana, in particular, has been making significant strides in this area, with the country passing a bill to coordinate the development and production of vaccines domestically.
William Ampofo, the secretary of the presidential committee on vaccine manufacturing and development, made the announcement during a press conference hosted by the WHO Africa.
While details of the deal have not been disclosed, the move marks a significant step forward in the quest to make vaccines more accessible and affordable to African populations.
The malaria scourge has been a persistent problem across Africa, with over 90% of the world’s malaria cases occurring on the continent. In recent years, there has been a concerted effort to develop and distribute effective vaccines to combat the disease.
Ghana has been actively focused on vaccine manufacturing, with Ampofo mentioning in the press conference that the country has passed a bill to coordinate the development and eventual production of vaccines locally.
This move towards vaccine self-sufficiency aligns with Ghana’s efforts to combat the scourge of malaria, which is a significant health problem in the country.
DEK Vaccines recently broke ground on a vaccine manufacturing facility in the town of Medie, Ghana, north of the capital city of Accra.
The European Investment Bank has granted the manufacturer €5 million (US$5.4 million) to support the domestic production of vaccines, and DEK Vaccines expects to begin producing commercial vaccines by 2025, according to Kofi Nsiah-Poku, the company’s managing director, in a press release.
The newly approved Oxford R21 malaria vaccine received its first regulatory clearance in Ghana last week, allowing it to be used in children aged 5 to 36 months.
The University of Oxford developed the vaccine with Novavax’s adjuvant technology, while the Serum Institute manufactured and scaled up production.
The Serum Institute also holds the manufacturing and commercialization license for the vaccine.
The vaccine also received approval in Nigeria earlier this week, with the country’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control stating that a clinical trial needs to be conducted locally.
The Serum Institute’s efforts in Africa are not limited to Ghana, as the company has previously entered a long-term agreement with Aspen Pharmacare, based in South Africa, to manufacture, market, and distribute four vaccines in Africa.
This partnership will enable Aspen to gain further entry into the routine vaccine market.
These efforts represent an important milestone in Africa’s journey towards greater self-sufficiency in vaccine production and distribution, and ultimately, in the fight against diseases like malaria.
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