Egypt’s Minister for Health, Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar opened the first production line of hepatitis B and pentavalent (five-in-one) vaccines, with the capacity to produce 100 million vaccines annually, as part of a collaboration between Egypt’s VACSERA and the Serum Institute of India.
This was revealed in a statement released by the country’s Health Ministry on Saturday March 25, 2023.
During a speech at VACSERA in Giza, Abdel-Ghaffar emphasised the importance of expanding Egyptian-Indian investments in vaccine and medicine manufacturing.
He also highlighted the strong role that President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi’s support played in making such investment projects a success, positioning Egypt as a hub for economic collaboration between India and Africa.
The July 2019 agreement by VACSERA and the Serum Institute of India marks a significant advancement in vaccine technology manufacturing and transference, increasing local production capacity from 60 to 70 percent, Abdel-Ghaffar stated.
“This stage runs concurrently with the preparations for the start of the third level of the agreement, emphasising that this collaboration represents the stability and strength of Egypt and India, which have a long history of solid relations,” said the health minister.
He pointed out that India and Egypt also have superior human skills and well-established vaccine production and manufacturing organisations.
VACSERA’s technical team was trained during regular missions to India, where they visited their partner’s production control labs, the minister added.
He further disclosed that the Ministry of Health’s future plan is to produce 300 million doses of different vaccines a year as part of the deal.
This aligns with the African Union’s plan to produce and supply 60 percent of Africa’s needs by 2040. As a result, the vaccines will be produced and manufactured in the VACSERA factory located in 6th of October City.
Heba Wali, chairman and CEO of VACSERA, stated: “During the planning and processing phases for the inauguration of the second part of the deal on technology transfer and vaccine manufacturing, the two countries exchanged formal visits to share experiences and knowledge, which helped refine skills among teams working in the field of vaccine production in both countries.”
Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador to Egypt Ajit Gupte commended the expansion of business ties with the Egyptian government.
“Egypt has a powerful system, a national vision and an advanced strategy in all economic areas, placing it among the world’s first industrialised nations at all levels, particularly health,” he added, saying that India’s vaccine manufacturing capabilities are noteworthy as it produces almost 60 percent of the world’s vaccines.
