MINISTER NZIMANDE WELCOMES THE FIRST IN PERSON WHO MEETING AND THE LAUNCH OF SOUTH AFRICA mRNA TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PROGRAMME
The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, welcomes the first in-person meeting of partners and stakeholders of the World Health Organization/Medicine Patents Pool mRNA Technology Transfer Programme in South Africa.
The meeting will commence in Cape Town tomorrow, Wednesday, 19 April 2023 and end on Friday, 21 April 2023.
Minister Nzimande said this meeting will be the first in a series of annual in-person events involving the key local and international stakeholders and partners of the mRNA technology transfer programme.
The Minister said this week’s meeting will, among other things, review the progress of the programme; allow programme partners to share their experiences with vaccine development; and review business models, intellectual property issues and regulatory aspects relevant to mRNA vaccines.
The meeting will be followed by the launch of the mRNA technology Hub facility at Afrigen. “This end-to-end mRNA vaccine development and production facility at Afrigen will be completed and ready for use and is the first tangible deliverable of the mRNA vaccine technology transfer Programme,” said Minister Nzimande.
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, on 21 June 2021, the WHO announced that South Africa would host the mRNA technology transfer programme to build manufacturing capacity in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) at a hub in Cape Town.
Minister Nzimande said that previous investments by the Department of Science and Innovation had put the country in an ideal position to host the hub.
The objective of the technology transfer hub is to establish or enhance sustainable mRNA vaccine manufacturing capacity in regions with no or limited capacity; introduce new technologies in LMICs and promote regional research and development; strengthen regional biomanufacturing know-how and workforce development; and develop regulatory capabilities and a workforce to support and accelerate regional approval and distribution of mRNA vaccines.
Afrigen, Biovac and the South African Medical Research Council are partners at the hub for mRNA technology development and transfer, which is funded by a number of international partners. The programme will see technology and technical know-how shared with a network of technology recipients in LMICs.
The programme is as follows:
Details:
On Wednesday, Prof. Adeeba Kamarulzaman, co-chair of the WHO Science Council, will present the council’s report on mRNA vaccines, and Prof. Glenda Gray, Head of the South Africa Medical Research Council, will make a presentation on HIV vaccine development and lessons learnt from HIV vaccine clinical trials.
Date: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Time: 09h00 – 13h00
Venue: Westin Hotel
Details:
On Thursday, Minister Nzimande will join Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, and other dignitaries in a breakfast meeting. This meeting will be attended by all those attending the entire launch programme, spokes, industry, experts and Cape Town based community organisations. Members of the media are also invited to attend.
Date: Thursday, 20 April 2023
Venue: Westin Hotel, Cape Town
Time: 08h00-10h00
Details:
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will be joined by the Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla on the occasion of the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) Council and research teams. The Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) is a collaboration between national research funding agencies in Canada, China, India, South Africa and also the World Health Organization (WHO); the aim is to develop linked international intervention cohorts that will implement and test approaches to i.) prevent overweight and obesity in children and risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and ii.) improve early childhood development (ECD).
Date: Thursday 20 April 2023
Venue: Cullinan Hotel, Cape Town
Time: 10h15-10h45
Details:
Official Launch of the mRNA technology Hub facility at Afrigen. This is a high-level event in the presence of distinguished guests and high level South African government officials
Date: Thursday 20 April 2023
venue: Afrigen 5 Kestrel Park, Longclaw Drive, Montague Gardens
Time: 11.30 -13.30
