· According to media sources, Senegal’s Institut Pasteur of Dakar (IPD) has finalised an agreement with U.S. Company MedInstill for bottling of COVID-19 shots.
· Senegal’s Institut Pasteur is currently producing a yellow fever shot – that is pre-qualified by the WHO, that meets international standards.
According to media sources, Senegal’s Institut Pasteur of Dakar (IPD) has finalised an agreement with U.S. Company MedInstill for bottling of COVID-19 shots. Senegal’s Institut Pasteur is currently producing a yellow fever shot – that is pre-qualified by the WHO, that meets international standards.
The project is supported by the EU as part of its goal to back the development of vaccine production hubs in at least three African countries. The proposed project will enable IPD to manufacture 300 million COVID-19 vaccines a year and reduce Africa’s reliance on imported vaccines once IPD procures a partnership with COVID vaccine patent holder to produce shots. Currently, South Africa’s Aspen Pharmacare, which produces the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is Africa’s only COVID vaccine producer.
A statement from EU diplomatic delegation in Dakar indicated that the first phase of the work included fill & finish only with plans to expand to full production later. The agreement with the U.S. firm MedInstill covered the fill & finish, while the deal with Belgian company Univercells covered the development of the active substance.
According to sources, two options were under consideration. The first one is a partnership with BioNTech for the production in Senegal of the mRNA vaccine that the German firm has developed with U.S. giant Pfizer. The second proposal is a deal with Univercells for the production of a viral vector shot, which the Belgian firm is developing with Italy’s ReiThera. Alternatively, the production of an mRNA vaccine, which Univercells is trying to develop through its unit Quantoom Biosciences, is also being examined.
