African pharmaceutical giant Aspen Pharmacare is in discussions with partners to begin manufacturing mpox vaccines at its facilities, CEO Stephen Saad revealed on Tuesday. The move comes as Africa grapples with an outbreak of the potentially deadly infection, which the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency in mid-August. The outbreak, which began in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has spread to neighboring countries.
So far, 13 African nations have reported over 22,800 cases of mpox and 622 deaths this year, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We are speaking to people,” Saad said in an interview, though he declined to name the companies involved. “We have the capacity and capability to make mpox vaccines… and we’re confident we can manufacture the product.”
However, Aspen is cautious about avoiding a repeat of its experience with COVID-19 vaccines, where the company was left with idle capacity due to a lack of demand. To mitigate this risk, Saad outlined two preconditions for the production of mpox vaccines.
“First, we need a commitment to volumes, regardless. We can’t be promised a billion orders only for it to become nothing,” he stated. “Second, it costs money to transfer these products into a facility, so we’ll do it if someone pays for the tech transfer into our facility.”
Mpox, which spreads through close contact, typically causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. While usually mild, it can be fatal in rare cases.
Aspen’s potential involvement in vaccine production could play a crucial role in controlling the mpox outbreak across the continent, provided the necessary commitments and financial support are secured.
