Biovac teams with Sanofi to supply polio vax across Africa

Mainly affecting children under five, Polio is an incurable infection that has almost been eradicated globally, though endemics still exist in pockets of the world – Afghanistan and Pakistan, at the end of 2023. To ensure the disease remains out of Africa, South Africa-based biopharma Biovac has teamed with Sanofi to supply the continent through a local drug product manufacturing network.

The French pharma giant produces IPV from its vaccines manufacturing and R&D site in Marcy l’Etoile, west of Lyon in France. The site is undergoing significant expansion, as part of a €935 million ($1 billion) investment in the region by Sanofi.

“As part of this partnership, Sanofi will continue to produce the IPV bulks in France and will supply it for further manufacturing steps to Biovac into a finished product for the African continent,” a Sanofi spokesperson told us.

"Biovac will manage final formulation, fill and pack activities, quality control at one of its manufacturing sites in Africa and distribute to UNICEF [The United Nations Children's Fund]. Facilities producing drug substances or vaccines must meet the highest global biocontainment standards. As of today, there are not any manufacturing facilities in Africa that meet these stringent global standards, esp. for polio vaccines manufacturing.”

Biovac’s CEO Morena Makhoana said: “We are very proud of this partnership with Sanofi, which will empower Biovac as an African manufacturer to champion polio eradication on and for the continent by bringing manufacturing of IPV doses closer to people needs.”