More collaboration needed to establish African vaccine industry

Vaccine manufacturers and suppliers must coordinate more closely if they are to overcome a range of challenges to the establishment of a successful industry in Africa, according to a new report.

The latest report from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) – which aims to accelerate the development of vaccines and other countermeasures against epidemics and pandemics – said that credit terms, production capacity constraints, tariffs and duties, volume demand uncertainty and forex shortages are all impacting the establishment of an African vaccine industry.

“While many of these constraints are structural issues, most of the suppliers stressed out the need for a joint coordination among the manufacturers and jointly with the suppliers – they mentioned that this could reduce lead-times and prices,” the report says.

The assessment of the current vaccine manufacturing industry in Africa, conducted by CEPI, aims to inform the Platform for Harmonized African Health Products Manufacturing.

The platform, set up by Africa’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and supported by global, regional and local stakeholders, has a target of increasing the quantity of vaccines used in Africa to be manufactured on the continent from less than 1% in 2021 to 60% in 2040.

Efforts to establish a viable vaccine industry on the continent have accelerated in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and other emerging threats.

“Typically, these ecosystems take 10 to 20 years to develop when supported by organisations, governments and private companies. Without one part of the ecosystem, the whole endeavour will fail,” the report says. 

A path forward

The study said that there are 25 manufacturers and potential manufacturers working towards the development of the ecosystem in Africa. Most vaccines produced in Africa are expected to be fill and finish – the process of filling vials and finishing packaging – in the short to mid-term. 

The study highlighted two main critical factors for Africa’s vaccine production: input materials prices and lead times.

Among the solutions, a “demand pooling or procurement support” was suggested.

Demand pooling would mean grouping multiple manufacturers together so that they can place larger orders as a team, with distribution centers. A third party organisation, for example an NGO, could manage the buying process to make it smoother and more efficient.

“A coordinated demand pool or third-party coordinated procurement office may be the first step in terms of coordinating and facilitating procurement for vaccine manufacturers; this may impact lead times and costs,” the report finds.

Once a demand pool is in place, the establishment of distribution centres would be a “natural step” which may have an impact on lead times, the authors say.

Once distribution centres are in place and there is a functioning ecosystem and demand volume in the region, localised input materials manufacturing can be considered. However, that “seems unfeasible in the short-term”, the authors find, and would rely on factors including financial hedging; an increase capacity utilisation; regulatory standardisation; and coordination and standardisation among manufacturers.

Localised manufacturing will also depend on sufficient and sustained demand; long-term and dynamic demand; and the availability of local talent. 

Africa currently relies heavily on imported vaccine input materials, making vaccine availability vulnerable to supply disruptions. During the Covid-19 pandemic, many African governments complained that they were unable to access vaccines in a timely manner.

Africa’s Covid-19 experience – and the emergence of Mpox and other health emergencies – means that the need for a vaccine industry in Africa has taken on a new urgency.