South African Biotechnology Company Afrigen Seeks To Establish Itself As The Global mRNA Vaccine Technology Transfer Hub
South African Biotechnology Company Afrigen Seeks To Establish Itself As The Global mRNA Vaccine Technology Transfer Hub. The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and Afrigen have signed an agreement to allow the South African biotechnology company to establish itself as the global mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub.
The 39 million euros grant will cover the work from 2021 to 2026. As part of the consortium, and through a hub and spoke model, the project aims to boost the vaccine manufacturing capacity of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to respond more equitably to COVID-19 and future pandemics.
“The hub has been busy gearing up its Cape Town facility, recruiting staff, receiving training from international experts and partners such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, and working with South Africa’s regulatory agency SAPHRA to ensure that once ready to produce, Afrigen meets all the prerequisite standards,” said Petro Terblanche, Managing Director of Afrigen.
Afrigen is a biotechnology company incorporated in South Africa, which established the first adjuvant formulation laboratory in Africa and has a pipeline of vaccines in development. Afrigen has built strong research and development partnerships with leading Universities in South Africa and across Africa.
Its aim is to allow for greater and more diversified vaccine manufacturing capability, strengthen African regional health security and respond more equitably to the current COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics.
