Covid Vaccine
Africa's top public health body is hopeful South African pharmaceutical firm Aspen Pharmacare (APNJ.J) would get orders for its own brand COVID-19 vaccine.
Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said last month that it is in detailed discussions with buyers to generate demand for Aspen's COVID-19 vaccine Aspenovax.
Just one fifth of adults in Africa are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but demand has fallen across the continent which already receives donated vaccines from Western countries.
"We are quite confident that we will be able to get some positive results out of the negotiations that are continuing," Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, Acting Director of Africa CDC, told reporters on Thursday as reported by Reuters.
Aspen currently produces vaccines for Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) but it struck a deal in March to produce, price, and sell its own-brand version of the shot for African markets.
However, according to reports, the pharmaceutical firm is yet to receive even a single order, the company told Reuters on Wednesday that its vaccine production lines, with a 450-million-dose annual production capacity, could soon be idled, or converted to produce anesthetics and other sterile products.
"We as Africa CDC, the African Union, we do not want to see a situation where Aspen closes any of their manufacturing capacity to (produce) COVID-19 vaccines," Ouma said, declining to give a timeline on possible orders for Aspen.
Ouma said Africa CDC wants every manufacturing facility on the continent that is manufacturing any health product, particularly vaccines, to have buyers from and for the continent.
Go to video
Johnson & Johnson under investigation in South Africa over 'excessive' drug prices
01:09
Comorian president wants to accelerate intra-African trade
01:24
BRICS: Brazil President Lula da Silva defends closer ties with Africa
01:08
Wagner boss hints 'he is in Africa' in first video since mutiny in Russia
00:51
Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, first African to win silver at World Athletics Championship
01:38
Chinese president meets presidents of Mauritania and Burundi