South Africa's Afrigen Makes mRNA COVID Vaccine Using Moderna Data

South Africa's Afrigen Biologics has used the publicly available sequence of Moderna Inc.'s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine to make its own version of the shot, which could be tested in humans before the end of this year, Afrigen's top executive said on Thursday, Wendell Roelf reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: The vaccine candidate would be the first to be made based on a widely used vaccine without the assistance and approval of the developer.

The vaccine candidate would be the first to be made based on a widely used vaccine without the assistance and approval of the developer. It is also the first mRNA vaccine designed, developed, and produced at lab scale on the African continent.

The World Health Organization (WHO) last year picked a consortium including Afrigen for a pilot project to give poor and middle-income countries the know-how to make COVID vaccines, aftermarket leaders of the mRNA COVID vaccine, Pfizer, BioNTech, and Moderna, declined a WHO request to share their technology and expertise.

The WHO and consortium partners hope their technology transfer hub will help overcome inequalities between rich nations and poorer countries in getting access to vaccines.

Some 99% of Africa's vaccines against all diseases are imported and the negligible remainder manufactured locally. During the pandemic, wealthy countries have hoovered up most of the world's supplies of vaccines.

Biovac, a partly state-owned South African vaccine producer, will be the first recipient of the technology from the hub. Afrigen has also agreed to help train companies in Argentina and Brazil.

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