Kenya reiterates commitment to local vaccine manufacturing at World Bio Summit

Kenya this week reaffirmed its commitment to ensure local manufacturing of vaccines.

Health CS Susan Nakhumicha this week represented Kenya during the World Bio Summit in Seoul Korea which was held under the theme, “Strengthening capacities for pandemic response: Preparation of Workforce, Business and Civil Society.”

During the summit, Nakhumicha noted that Africa’s pharmaceutical industry sector has long grappled with multiple challenges including limited production capacity and technical know-how.

Kenya is establishing in-country capacities in the manufacturing of vaccines and other biopharmaceuticals.

This includes the establishment of the Kenya BioVax Institute manufacturing facility, with production plans at an advanced stage to commence with the downstream ‘fill-and-finish’ of selected vaccines in order to satisfy the local and regional demand.

This is being done in partnership with regional and development partners and manufacturers and collaborators including the WHO Messenger RNA (mRNA) transfer programme and the Africa CDC Partnership for Africa Vaccines Manufacturers (PAVM).

“The Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated the negative impacts of exaggerated high costs of essential supplies and commodities, artificial shortages and prolonged lead times due to ‘vaccines nationalism’ and other unethical practices,” Nakhumicha noted.

“That led to disruption of global supply chains and markets of life-saving pandemic response tools and products, hence the dire need to assure health commodity security for our countries and regions, by strengthening the preparedness, response,” she added.

On the sidelines of the Summit, Nakhumicha met with International Vaccine Institute leadership led by Director General Jerome Kim, Business Development Manager Junhee Lee and Head of Global Affairs and Communications Youngmi Cho.

The institute has enhanced Korean Vaccine manufacturing capacity through research and innovation.

Through the Kenya BioVax Institute, the government of Kenya has developed a strategic collaborative partnership in technology transfer and manufacturing support between IVI and BioVax.

Kenya is committed to hosting the International Vaccines Institute continental office, where the country will benefit through partnerships in technology and knowledge transfer.

This will enhance the country’s capacity in prevention, preparedness and response to vaccine-preventable diseases in the wake of outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics.

“The call to strategically position the pharmaceutical bio-manufacturing at the centre of pandemic response has never been clearer than it is now,” the CS told the summit.

She called on all governments and partners to collaborate and invest in the biopharmaceutical sector particularly in the Africa region by investing in people, technology and systems for a better response to pandemics in the future.