E-DRUG: One person, one dose: J&J Covid-19 vaccines to be produced in South Africa
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One person, one dose: Hundreds of millions of J&J Covid-19 vaccines to be produced in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
By Estelle Ellis 31 March 2021
Millions of doses of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine will be assembled and dispensed into vials, then sealed and packaged at Aspen Pharmacare in Gqeberha over the coming months. The facility, originally established to produce eyedrops, has now — through the largest pharmaceutical investment on the continent — developed the capability to partner with Johnson & Johnson in the production of its Covid-19 vaccine. The first deliveries are scheduled for April 2021.
Aspen Pharmacare’s Gqeberha manufacturing facility already plays an important role in the fight against the novel coronavirus. Dexamethasone, a corticosteroid given to patients with severe Covid-19, is made here, as well as medicine used when patients need ventilation.
Now, the hi-tech sterile production facility will also produce the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine against Covid-19. The plant was equipped with sterile facilities to enable it to manufacture eyedrops about 20 years ago.
The Gqeberha facility now provides the most significant sterile capabilities on the African continent. Recent investments of more than R3-billion in a second sterile production site were made to allow for the production of anaesthetics, but less complex, production-type vials, ampoules and cartridges, and sterile emulsions, can also be produced.
“The majority of the vaccines manufactured at this facility in 2021 will be supplied to South Africa and the member states of the African Union,” Aspen CEO Stephen Saad said.
“The South African government has an agreement with Johnson & Johnson to deliver 30 million doses of [their] vaccine to South Africans, with the first deliveries being made in April 2021.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday (29 March) that of the total 250 million vaccine doses to be manufactured at the facility, 220 million will be made available to the rest of Africa. The other 30 million doses will be for South Africans.
Saad said the plan was to eventually provide up to 400 million doses of the vaccine to the African Union.
“We are particularly proud that this vaccine manufacture is taking place in Africa. Our sterile capacity is a big step forward to ensuring that Africa has both the capacity and capabilities to reduce its reliance on other countries in addressing the healthcare priorities on the continent,” Saad said.
“We hope that our success will inspire and give confidence to others to further invest in our continent.”
“During this time, the Aspen project team has strengthened its technical competencies, complementing the capabilities of these highly skilled Aspen employees and enhancing a knowledge base in South Africa that will contribute to further solving future public challenges,” Saad said.
“Provided that all validation batches are safe, correctly made and are the same as the original product being transferred in, we can then submit the site for registration as a supplier of the product to the healthcare authorities.
posted by
Carinne Bruneton
E-Med@healthnet.org
<carinne.bruneton@hotmail.fr>