South Africa starts clinical trials on first locally developed oral cholera vaccine

Researchers and scientists in South Africa on Tuesday have launched clinical trials on the first domestically manufactured vaccine in over 50 years.

The oral cholera vaccine is being developed by the Cape Town-based pharmaceutical firm Biovac.

It is currently undergoing trials to determine its safety in adults and will be followed by trials to compare it to existing cholera vaccines that are already in the market.

The South African government has described the clinical trials as a “milestone in Africa’s ability to produce vaccines for itself.”

Vaccines made in South Africa usually rely on active pharmaceutical ingredients imported from abroad.

“If our vaccine works, we'll be the second producer of the oral cholera vaccine at a global level, and we can help support global distribution and help support places where there are outbreaks," said Professor Glenda Gray, the chief scientific officer at the South African Medical Research Council.

South Africa’s health minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the vaccine could be approved and ready for use in Africa by 2028, depending on the results of the clinical trials.

“The ability to manufacture a life-saving vaccine from start to finish right here at home strengthens our national capacity to respond swiftly to potential outbreaks and enhances Africa’s self-reliance in vaccine production,” he said.

South Africa often experiences cholera outbreaks due to cross-border movements. Other causes includes a lack of clean water in communities such as Hammanskraal, in the capital Pretoria, where provision of clean water remains a major problem.

Shadrack Makutu, 37, a resident from Limpopo province, is one of the first participants in the clinical trial. He has previously experienced an outbreak in his village of Bushbuckridge.

"Being part of this study group is not going to benefit me, myself only, it's still going to benefit each and everyone around the African continent," he said.

A cholera outbreak in 2023 led to the death of 47 people and over 1,400 reported cases, but neighbouring countries like Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe have experienced far higher cases and deaths.

The World Health Organization estimates that as many as 4 million people around the world are affected by cholera every year, with between 21,000 and 143,000 people dying from it annually.