AFRICA HEALTH

MODERNA SEALS DEAL WITH KENYA FOR FIRST mRNA FACILITY IN AFRICA

MODERNA SEALS DEAL WITH KENYA FOR FIRST mRNA FACILITY IN AFRICA
Spread the love

Faith Nyasuguta 

Moderna, a pharmaceutical giant has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Kenya for its inaugural mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in the African continent.

Via a statement this week, the firm said it aims at producing up to 500 million doses of vaccines annually for the continent,  with a focus on drug substance manufacturing. The first facility could be expanded to include fill-and-finish work.

“In parallel, Moderna is also working on plans to allow it to fill doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in Africa as early as 2023, subject to demand,” the statement read in part. 

Africa is currently the least vaccinated region in the world against the coronavirus. The continent relies on imports for about 99% of its vaccine needs, according to the World Health Organization.

African leaders, frustrated by wealthier nations’ vaccine hoarding, joined together to pursue the goal of bringing more vaccine manufacturing to the continent of 1.3 billion people.

A health official prepares a syringe with the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine prior to administering it during a mass Covid-19 vaccination drive in Nairobi on September 17, 2021. /Simon Maina, AFP/

In October 2021, Senegal and Rwanda signed a deal with BioNTech for the construction of its first start-to-finish factories to make mRNA vaccines in Africa.

The innovative mRNA process uses the genetic code of the spike protein of the coronavirus and is believed to spark a better immune response compared to traditional vaccines. 

According to scientists, the technology, which is easier to scale up compared to traditional vaccine methods, could ultimately be used to make vaccines against other diseases, including malaria.

About Author

Faith Nyasuguta