Agreement. Aspen Pharmacare receives funding supporting deal with Serum Institute 

South Africa’s Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited said it was receiving new funding to support an existing technology transfer agreement that it has with India’s Serum Institute to make vaccines in Africa, for Africa.

Aspen said it was to receive $30 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to support its capabilities to manufacture lifesaving routine and outbreak vaccines for the continent.

The new funding from CEPI and the Gates Foundation, which includes $15 million from each organisation, will support a ten-year agreement between Aspen and Serum Institute, that aims to expand the supply and sourcing of affordable vaccines manufactured in Africa, a CEPI note said.

Four routine vaccines will be manufactured and distributed in Africa, as part of the deal. They include the Pneumococcal, Rotavirus, Polyvalent Meningococcal, and Hexavalent vaccines — with technology transfer activities starting in early 2023. The funding from CEPI and the Gates Foundation will help sustain regional vaccine manufacturing capacity at Aspen for potential future outbreak response, with the intention of securing early access to African-produced vaccines in the event of a future public health emergency, the note added.

“The urgent need to diversify vaccine manufacturing so every region can manage its own health security is one of the most significant learnings from the inequity of the Covid-19 pandemic response. CEPI is working with our partners at Africa CDC to support the expansion of vaccine manufacturing on the continent, and our collaboration with Aspen, the Gates Foundation and Serum Institute will help to deliver a sustainable and resilient business model capable of both producing routine and outbreak vaccines in Africa, for Africa,” said Richard Hatchett, Chief Executive Officer, CEPI.

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