A vaccine against Covid-19 was considered an important milestone in efforts to control the pandemic. However, initially they were scarce and later distributed unequally. In other words, it was much more available in developed countries than in low- and middle-income countries. Lack of infrastructure and inadequate health systems often prevent vaccines from reaching places where they are urgently needed. More than 30 countries around the world are considered vulnerable. Most of them are on the African continent. The crisis and armed conflict gripping the region pose major obstacles to vaccine distribution.
Expanding the production of vaccines and medicines in African countries, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, will not only help combat widespread infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis, but will also be critical to combating and preventing future global pandemics. It becomes a means. This is also of critical importance given the rapid rise in non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases and cancer in Africa.
Funding vaccine productionThe African Union (AU) has set a goal for Africa to produce around 60% of the vaccines it needs by 2040. Germany has been supporting the AU and its member states in this effort since 2021, promoting bilateral and multilateral projects in the region. Framework for development cooperation. The company is in close dialogue with European partners and private industry, and is also working with multilateral organizations, including the development of new funding mechanisms such as the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) launched by the public-private vaccine alliance Gavi. Involved.
Efforts and activities in this area are therefore multifaceted and multilayered, as are the actors and challenges. Consistent coordination and integration of the efforts of different multilateral donors is therefore key. Germany’s involvement is closely integrated into a pan-European approach comprising the European Commission and other EU member states. Within the Team Europe initiative MAV+, the production of vaccines and medicines in Africa is being promoted in a coordinated manner. These initiatives are based on the insight that simply building factories is not enough. Rather, successful private sector investment requires a “facilitative ecosystem.”
To create this, you specifically need:
Development and strengthening of regulatory authorities to approve locally produced medical products and ensure quality; development of local entrepreneurial ecosystem to promote private industry; production of vaccines and medicines; infrastructure development; financing. Education and further training of professionals specializing in access to procurement, technology transfer and targeted support to make locally produced medical products competitive in the local market.
All efforts must be coordinated at national and international levels and partner-oriented.
African companies produce vaccinesThis is precisely where Germany’s development cooperation comes into play. It may already be showing some success. For example, nine African companies are already producing vaccines, including South Africa’s Aspen and Biovac and Senegal’s Institut Pasteur de Dakar. They are joined by several smaller manufacturers in North Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia) and Ethiopia. German development cooperation does not (co-)finance any investments by companies, but instead supports partner governments in establishing the necessary domestic frameworks for these investments.
But there isn’t enough to produce vaccines or treatments. It must also be approved, purchased, and distributed. This is the role of the aforementioned funding mechanism AVMA by the African Medicines Agency (AMA) and the Vaccine Alliance Gavi. In the future, the AMA should coordinate the standardization of medical product regulation in Africa, pool its expertise and capabilities, and monitor selected medical products from a regulatory perspective. As of June, AVMA has absorbed the African manufacturers’ initially higher production costs. We will continue to do so for the next 10 years. This measure should help manufacturers remain competitive in the medium term, especially against competitors in Asia.
Despite various successes, many challenges remain. Climate change and the associated rise in certain diseases, political conflicts and wars, combined with shrinking development budgets in many donor countries, are increasingly decoupling the need for funding and support. Most efforts require proper coordination, and as the memory of the horrors of the pandemic fades, priorities on the political agenda are shifting. But boosting local vaccine and medicine production is about more than just an (epidemic) issue. It is about sustainable health and economic development, which are at the heart of Germany’s development cooperation in Africa and are also reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda.
International coordination and market design are needed to adequately meet growing needs in light of the growing crisis and shrinking development budgets. Vaccine production is a high-volume business, so not every country can establish its own production. In fact, it shouldn’t if the sector is to be economically sustainable. The same applies to other medicines. Therefore, it makes sense to provide targeted support where the chances of success are highest in the market.
Locally manufactured pharmaceutical sales market
Another key success factor for local production is the guarantee that the product will be salable. Without this, African manufacturers will not be able to create business models. It is therefore essential that African partner countries and multilateral organizations like UNICEF and Gavi commit to purchasing locally produced products as well.
With AVMA, Gavi took an important step this year to move African countries towards independent production. Germany is making an important contribution to this effort and will continue to support local production in Africa in order to continue striving towards global health security goals.
The resurgence of mpox in Africa will be the first test of its success. In response to the increasing number of infections, WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on August 14, 2024.
To scale up the response, WHO has released approximately $1.5 million from its Contingency Fund (CFE) and plans to release more. Additionally, WHO is working with Gavi, UNICEF, Japan, the United States, the EU, Africa CDC, and vaccine manufacturers to ensure equitable access to vaccines, treatments, diagnostics, and other supplies. Germany is donating vaccine doses, participating in the local response, providing funding and contributing to additional services through its membership in the aforementioned organizations. Only time will tell whether these efforts are effective.
We know that the next pandemic is not a matter of “if,” but “when.” Therefore, early prevention is a good investment for the future.
link
African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD): African Medicines Agency (AMA).
https://www.nepad.org/microsite/african-medicines-agency-ama
Anna Lotte Boettcher is Senior Policy Officer in the Global Health Policy and Financing Department at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Her portfolio includes promoting local vaccine and drug production in Africa.
anlotte.boettcher@bmz.bund.de
Katja Pohlmann is Head of Global Health Policy and Financing at BMZ. Her responsibilities include important global financial institutions such as GFATM, Gavi and GPEI.
katja.pohlmann@bmz.bund.de
