African vaccine manufacturers are readying themselves to make mpox shots as a lethal outbreak of the disease spreads across the continent. The Biovac Institute, a South African vaccine maker, is able to produce the shots and is waiting for 'more intimate discussions' with companies such as Bavarian Nordic A/S, one of a few companies with an approved mpox dose, Biovac Chief Executive Officer Morena Makhoana said in an interview on Bloomberg Television.
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is working to ensure that it avoids mistakes that cost lives during the Covid-19 pandemic, starting with the slow acquisition of vaccines. While the continent has dealt with mpox since the 1970s making it the only region where the disease is endemic it didnt receive vaccines for the virus in 2022 as the infectious illness spread around the world.
Bavarian Nordics vaccine needs cold storage, which Biovac can provide, Makhoana said.
'When we did the Pfizer Covid-19 tech transfer about three years ago, that capability was installed then,' he said. 'From what we can understand at a higher level, we are able to manufacture the vaccine' at the institutes facilities in Cape Town.
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is working to ensure that it avoids mistakes that cost lives during the Covid-19 pandemic, starting with the slow acquisition of vaccines. While the continent has dealt with mpox since the 1970s making it the only region where the disease is endemic it didnt receive vaccines for the virus in 2022 as the infectious illness spread around the world.
Bavarian Nordics vaccine needs cold storage, which Biovac can provide, Makhoana said.
'When we did the Pfizer Covid-19 tech transfer about three years ago, that capability was installed then,' he said. 'From what we can understand at a higher level, we are able to manufacture the vaccine' at the institutes facilities in Cape Town.
