1 October 2003

South Africa has launched the Biologicals and Vaccines Institute of Southern Africa, a R500-million public-private partnership between the government and a group of healthcare companies that aims to revitalise the country's vaccine manufacturing capacity.

According to the Business Day newspaper, the health department signed a five-year agreement on Monday with the Biovac Consortium, which includes South African vaccine importer and distributor Biovac Holdings, Cuban firm Heber Biotec, UK-based VaxIntel and the Disability Concerns Trust, and investment trust representing 4.5-million disabled people.

South Africa stopped producing vaccines in 2001 due to a shortage of technology, funding and skills, and consequently has had to import all its human vaccines.

Business Day reports that the institute will upgrade facilities at the former State Vaccine Institute in Cape Town, and begin manufacturing vaccines - including vaccines for diptheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and haemophillus influenza - over the next five years.

To begin with, the institute will import, package and distribute vaccines, but the ultimate aim is to manufacture vaccines locally.

According to Business Day, the institute has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the South African Aids Vaccine Initiative that will pave the way for local manufacture of an Aids vaccine, should one be developed.

SouthAfrica.info reporter

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