KeyPlants Dispatches Vaccine Manufacturing Facility to Senegal

KeyPlants, a provider of life science facilities and PODs, has shipped a vaccine manufacturing filling facility to Senegal in West Africa. Later this year, once the facility is installed and becomes fully operational, the company notes that it will be the only regional manufacturing hub on the continent outside of South Africa capable of producing finished COVID-19 and other life-saving vaccines. Specifically, It has the capacity to produce as many as 300 million doses COVID-19 vaccine doses on a yearly basis, and also has multi-suite drug substance and fill-finish capabilities.

Project MADIBA facility

The POD provider says that the shipment of this advanced facility is an important step towards realizing the vision of Project MADIBA, which is led by Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD), a non-profit foundation that aims to promote public health and well-being in Senegal and throughout Africa. The project is supported by the government of Senegal, Africa CDC, WHO, and CEP, among other partners. These include KeyPlants and MEDInstill, which provides the novel vaccine manufacturing equipment utilized in the facility.

Project MADIBA is expected to be a first step in combatting the vaccine inequity crisis. In an effort to do just that, the African Union and Africa CDC have set a goal of manufacturing 60% of African vaccine supply by 2040 and vaccine autonomy by 2060.

“We are proud to leverage our extensive experience and expertise in modular facilities and off-site manufacturing to drive forward this important project,” comments Jörgen Harrysson, CEO of KeyPlants. “By doing so, we will help provide crucial access to lifesaving therapeutics for the African population.”