Biopharmaceutical company, the Biologicals and Vaccines Institute of Southern Africa (Biovac), has opened a product development laboratory at its Cape Town facility.

The company says the new laboratory will strengthen its vaccine product development capabilities, enabling it to produce vaccines for Africa from the early stages of product development to drug substance and drug product manufacturing, to the final product.

It will also aid in responding to the continent’s high disease burden with locally driven solutions.

Biovac currently develops, formulates, fills, finishes and distributes vaccines used in South Africa’s childhood vaccine programme.

At inception, Biovac initially focused on distributing imported childhood vaccines in partnership with South Africa’s Department of Health, in support of its Expanded Programme for Immunisation.

It later progressed to collaborating with multinational companies to fill and finish vaccines and is now further advancing its vaccine development capability across more technology platforms, including mRNA, cell culture and bacterial technology platforms.

The new product development laboratory has been realised through the support of the Gates Foundation.

The lab should assist Biovac, South Africa and the African continent to develop its own vaccines across multiple platforms, and to be better able to respond to future pandemics or outbreaks.

The laboratory will allow multiple products to be developed simultaneously, and should foster innovation and intellectual property creation for vaccines targeting diseases prevalent in Africa.

The laboratory includes infrastructure for mRNA drug substance development, screening, evaluation and manufacturing.

It houses a specialised suite to formulate nanoparticles that safely encapsulate and protect mRNA, along with dedicated areas for bacterial and cell culture, cell bank storage and handling of sensitive medical materials.

The African Union Commission and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention committed in 2022 to ensuring that 60% of vaccines used on the continent are manufactured in Africa by 2040.

Currently, only about 1% are produced locally.

“The establishment of our new product development laboratory is a major milestone for Biovac and for African vaccines and vaccine innovation,” says Biovac CEO Morena Makhoana.

“It gives us the capability to develop and test next-generation vaccines using the most advanced technology available, ensuring that Africa is not left behind in responding to current and future vaccine preventable diseases.”

“Biovac's new product development laboratory represents a leap forward for vaccine innovation and manufacturing in Africa,” notes Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman.

“For millions of people across the continent, it brings the promise of faster, more reliable access to lifesaving vaccines – developed and produced in Africa, for Africa.”

Biovac’s Ambitions to be Boosted by New Health Technology Park
The City of Cape Town (CoCT) says it intends to transfer a section of city-owned land to Biovac for the development of the Cape Town Health Technology Park (CHTP).

The land, located in Ndabeni, is next door to Biovac.

According to CoCT, the CHTP will serve as a hub for high-tech medical and biotech enterprises, “creating an environment that stimulates innovation, supports new economic sectors and strengthens South Africa’s position in global health technology industries”.

The land will be developed into a mixed-use precinct made up of offices, laboratories, research centres and manufacturing facilities for medical and health-related products.

“The idea is to bring together businesses, researchers and manufacturers in one location, creating a dedicated space for innovation and production in the health sector,” says CoCT Economic Growth MMC James Vos.

He adds that Biovac, with support from the Western Cape government, initiated the establishment of the tech park.

As Biovac aims to revitalise vaccine manufacturing in South Africa, it needs to build capacity in all aspects of vaccine development and manufacturing, from products for clinical trials to full-scale commercial production, for both local and international markets.

“The CHTP project was identified as a vital stimulus for the growth of the health technology industries in South Africa,” says Vos.

“The envisaged CHTP aims to be a world-class innovation facility, which will culminate in the co-location and investment by innovative firms. 

“This includes government, academia and innovation support organisations in a purpose-built facility.

“The key objective of the CHTP is to play a driving role in the establishment of a health technologies innovation and manufacturing hub in the Western Cape,” notes Vos.