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Biovac, a leading South African biopharmaceutical company, is launching a state-of-the-art product development laboratory at its Cape Town facility, to expand the company’s ability to develop vaccines and other therapeutics. The new laboratory will strengthen Biovac’s world-class 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 end-product. It will further aid in responding to the continent’s high disease burden with locally driven solutions.
This evolution into vaccine product development re?ects South Africa’s growing vaccine innovation and manufacturing capacity, strengthened by public-private collaboration.
The company currently develops, formulates, ?lls, ?nishes, 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 National Department of Health, in support of their Expanded Programme for Immunisation. It later progressed to collaborating with multinational companies to ?ll and ?nish vaccines and is now further advancing their vaccine development capability across more technology platforms including mRNA, cell culture and the already well-established bacterial technology platforms.
The new Product Development laboratory has been realised through the support of the Gates Foundation. This will assist Biovac, South Africa, and the African continent, to be able to develop its own vaccines across multiple platforms and be better able to respond to future pandemics or outbreaks using advanced technology and state-of-the-art equipment.
The laboratory will allow multiple products to be developed simultaneously and 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 Africa CDC 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; a gap this facility seeks to help close.
Biovac’s mission, is to retain and grow scienti?c expertise and vaccine development capacity within South Africa, to serve the Southern African Development Community and the broader African market in preventing diseases.
Biovac CEO Morena Makhoana said, “The establishment of our new product development laboratory is a major milestone for Biovac and for African vaccines and vaccine innovation. 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.”
Gates Foundation CEO, Mark Suzman, said “Biovac’s new product development laboratory represents a leap forward for vaccine innovation and manufacturing in Africa. 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. The Gates Foundation is proud to support this investment in local talent and infrastructure that strengthens Africa’s scientific and manufacturing capacity, promoting health equity and security across the continent.”
Deputy Minister of Science Dr Nomalungelo Gina said: “Today marks an historic milestone for South Africa, as the opening of Biovac’s new Product Development Laboratory brings us closer to our vision of achieving full, end-to-end vaccine manufacturing capability on the African continent. This high-tech facility, equipped with advanced mRNA technology and state-of-the-art research capacity, will empower our scientists to tackle diseases that are most prevalent in Africa, ensuring that home-grown innovation addresses the health needs of our people.”
“The Government of South Africa, together with partners like the Gates Foundation and the Industrial Development Corporation, remains steadfast in supporting initiatives that build robust local pharmaceutical manufacturing and enhance our preparedness for future health emergencies. The Product Development Laboratory is not just a monument to technological advancement, but a beacon of hope for all Africans, a demonstration of what is possible when vision, investment and scientific excellence come together. Let us celebrate this step forward, confident that today’s
investment in science will yield tomorrow’s health and economic security for our country and continent.”
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Biovac.
