COVID-19: South Africa is working on the first continent's mRNM vaccine

South Africa, which militates for fair access to anti-Cavid vaccines, has embarked on the design of a first African Messenger RNA vaccine (mRNA), to end the dependence on the continent vis-à-screws from rich countries.

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Supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), the South African Biotechnology Company, based in CAP, leads a pilot project that will call on "reverse engineering" from an already existing vaccine,To reconstruct a formula close to the Moderna mRNA vaccine.The first doses should be ready for clinical trials within a year, according to the director of Afrigen, Petro Terreblanche.

Research and development in ultramodern facilities, which cost around 7.5 million euros, started three months ago.To date, barely 5% of eligible Africans are fully vaccinated.Largely lagging against the rest of the world, Africa is strongly dependent on imports and dose donations by rich countries.

A "more suited to low -income" vaccine

"The bitter lesson that we have drawn from this pandemic is that Africa is almost entirely dependent" of vaccines produced outside the continent, Richard Mihigo, coordinator in charge of vaccines at WHO Africa, told AFP.The Afrigen project aims to end it by locally developing an innovative vaccine, suitable for climatic conditions in Africa."What we are looking for is a second generation vaccine," explains Martin Friede, coordinator in charge of the WHO in Geneva.

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"We have to start with a Moderna double," he continues.But the idea is to develop a vaccine "more suited to low -income countries".While existing mRNA vaccines must be stored at low temperature, Afrigen's formula will ideally require little or no refrigeration.

"Africa must become independent in the production of vaccines over the next 20 years," said Friede.Once the formula is developed, Afrigen plans to train other African countries in the manufacture of the vaccine.The South African Biovac, located in the same complex as Frigen, will be the first to produce the new vaccine on a commercial scale.

Pressure to lift patents on anti-Cavid vaccines

Created by UNITAID - International Organization for Medicines for Poor countries - The Medicines PATENT POOL (MPP), which is negotiating treatment licenses with patent holders, conducts talks with Moderna.With a little luck, "we could obtain an agreement so that they do not assert their patents," said Charles Gore, director of the MPP last month.

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Giants of the pharmaceutical industry have so far resisted pressure to lift patents on anti-Cavid vaccines.South Africa and India in the lead have campaigned for a temporary lifting allowing countries in lack of doses to locally produce cheaper generics.

Last week, Moderna announced its intention to build an ultra -modern mRNA factory in Africa, which will produce up to 500 million doses of vaccines per year.South Africa is officially the African country most affected by the pandemic, with more than 2.9 million cases and 88,300 deaths.Several other anti-Cavid vaccine production projects in Africa are being studied, in Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Nigeria, Rwanda or Senegal.