Cape Town, 18 April 2018 – The Biovac Institute (Biovac) has been awarded a manufacturing licence by a South African regulator, taking it one step closer to realising the government’s ambition of producing its own vaccines.
Biovac is a public-private partnership that was formed in 2003 to try and revitalise the state’s human vaccine manufacturing capacity, after the demise of the state vaccine institute.
Part of the rationale for local vaccine manufacture is to try to improve security of supply for South Africa and the region, as there are no significant vaccine manufacturers on the continent. South Africa has confronted numerous vaccine shortages recently, including the BCG inoculation, which is used to protect babies against tuberculosis.
Biovac currently sources and distributes vaccines, and its biggest customer is the state, which runs a national programme for immunising infants and children. It also provides vaccines to the private sector.
Biovac was notified by the Medicines Control Council in January that its Pinelands, Cape Town facility had been approved for the manufacturing of vaccines and other small-volume parenterals, said CEO Morena Makhoana.
Full article available at https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/companies/healthcare/2018-04-18-regulator-gives-biovac-green-light-to-manufacture-vaccines/
More at http://www.dst.gov.za/index.php/media-room/latest-news/2498-biovac-awarded-manufacturing-licence
