Pfizer/BioNTech To Produce Covid Vaccine In S.Africa

Frankfurt, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Jul, 2021 ) :Covid vaccine makers BioNTech and Pfizer said Wednesday they will produce their jab in South Africa from 2022, a first for the continent that could see much-needed immunisation drives pick up speed.

The move comes amid growing criticism of vaccine inequality that has seen poor countries fall behind richer ones in the race to protect people from the coronavirus.

Under the agreement, Cape Town-based Biovac will complete the last step in the manufacturing process of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, known as "fill and finish", the companies said in a statement.

The project will take time to get off the ground however, with the first African-finished Pfizer vaccines not expected before next year.

Once up and running, Biovac is set to churn out more than 100 million doses annually that will be distributed to the 55 countries in the African Union.

"This is a critical step forward in strengthening sustainable access to a vaccine in the fight against this tragic, worldwide pandemic," said Biovac chief executive officer Morena Makhoana.

"Technical transfer, on-site development and equipment installation activities will begin immediately," the statement added.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called the partnership "a breakthrough" for African nations.

The reaction from the World Health Organization was more muted.

"We welcome all initiatives to increase Covid-19 vaccine production in the future but immediate action is needed now," a spokesman said.

In low-income countries, "only one percent of people have received at least one dose, compared with more than half of people in high-income countries," he added.

The coronavirus vaccine developed by Germany's BioNTech and its US partner Pfizer, based on experimental mRNA technology, was the first to be approved in the West late last year.

Studies have shown it is highly effective against Covid-19, including against newer variants.

Another plant in South Africa is already handling the fill and finish process for the Covid-19 shot developed by pharmaceutical firm Johnson & Johnson, which uses a traditional viral vector-based method.