- IAVI, Minapharm, and ProBioGen have formed a strategic partnership to expand end-to-end development and manufacturing of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies in Africa.
- The collaboration aims to increase local production, enable sustainable access to priority products, and strengthen regional health security.
IAVI has announced a strategic partnership with Minapharm and ProBioGen to advance vaccine and biologics development and manufacturing on the African continent. The collaboration focuses on building regional capacity to produce priority vaccines and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) through contract manufacturing and technology transfer.
Currently, only one percent of vaccines for the African market are produced locally. The partnership seeks to address this gap by combining Minapharm’s 25 years of experience in biomanufacturing in Africa, ProBioGen’s vaccine and antibody production technologies, and IAVI’s product development expertise. The initiative will initially focus on ProBioGen’s Modified Vaccinia Ankara vaccine against Mpox, optimised for productivity, immunogenicity, and ease of delivery.
The partnership also aims to expand regional production of affordable monoclonal antibodies. IAVI will transfer its portfolio of antibody-based products for HIV prevention, while Minapharm and ProBioGen will provide local manufacturing capabilities. The collaboration benefits from support by Africa CDC, the Wellcome Trust, and the kENUP Africa Foundation, enabling technology transfer, capacity-building, and market-shaping activities.
“This pioneering collaboration will ensure access to cutting-edge innovations like antibodies for HIV prevention and innovative vaccine strategies for emerging infectious diseases such as Mpox – by expanding the capacity to research, develop, and produce those products in the region where they are most needed.”
Mark Feinberg, M.D., Ph.D., IAVI’s President and CEO
