Africa’s biggest pharmaceutical manufacturer Aspen Pharmacare says it is well-positioned to help produce monkeypox vaccines, as it has spare capacity at its sterile facility in Gqeberha.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern on Saturday, as the viral disease has rapidly spread in the past few months. By Thursday, more than 18,000 cases had been detected in 75 countries. The disease is usually mild, but health authorities are anxious to contain its spread to reduce the risk of it mutating into a more severe form, and several governments, including the US and UK, snapping up limited vaccine supplies.
Earlier this week, Copenhagen-based Bavarian Nordic said it was in talks to potentially expand production capacity of its monkeypox vaccine, and that it is working around the clock to ramp up volumes.
Reuters reported on Monday that Bavarian had an annual production capacity of 30-million doses of monkeypox vaccine and other shots that it makes. CEO Paul Chaplin said the company can meet current demand in the tens of millions for the monkeypox vaccine, and was working with a US-based contract manufacturer to expand production capacity. It was also engaged in early talks with other companies, including contract manufacturers and other vaccine makers, in case further expansion was required.
Aspen’s group executive for biologicals Lisa Bonadonna said the company had the capacity to bottle monkeypox vaccines at its Gqeberha plant, but declined to say whether Aspen was in talks with Bavarian Nordic.
“We have demonstrated our capability to build capacity and be an incredible supplier in a time of global health need. We were the biggest supplier of [Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine]. So, if an organisation like Bavarian Nordic or other organisations that have the monkeypox vaccine need support, we are here, we are ready to step in,” she told Business Day on Thursday.
“We moved so quickly with the coronavirus, I can’t see any reason why, with another public health emergency, we would not be able to respond in that way,” she said.
In responding to Covid-19, Aspen had invested in capacity to provide up to 300-million vaccine doses a year.
“Looking at the currently available information on the epidemiology of monkeypox and the dynamics of this public health emergency, Aspen believes it would be able to handle any requests for filling and finishing support fielded, working with potential partners and regulators to ensure all specifications and controls can be met to the highest standard,” she said.
Aspen continued to bottle J&J’s Covid-19 shots, but had yet to receive any orders for its own version of the jab, branded Aspenovax.
Aspen was encouraged by the recent white paper from the Global Access to Vaccines Initiative (Gavi), which emphasised its support for African vaccine manufacturers, said Bonadonna. Gavi is the biggest procurer of vaccines for low- and middle-income countries, but has previously said it has so much stock on hand it does not need to place any new orders for Covid-19 shots for the time being.
“They have said future orders will depend on the amount of stock on hand, and demand from the countries. Our expectation ... is that for any future orders, Aspen has to be first in line.”
Countries in Africa have experienced sporadic monkeypox outbreaks since the virus was discovered in humans in 1970.
SA has recorded three unlinked cases of monkeypox since June 22, first in Gauteng, then the Western Cape and most recently in Limpopo.
With Reuters
Update: July 28 2022
This story has been updated with additional comment from Bonadonna.
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