Headquartered in Durban, South Africa, Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited will receive $30 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to support its capabilities to manufacture lifesaving routine and outbreak vaccines for Africa.

The new funding from CEPI and the Gates Foundation, which includes $15 million from each organisation, will support a ten-year agreement between Aspen and Serum Institute of India that aims to expand the supply and sourcing of affordable vaccines manufactured in Africa.

Through the partnership with Serum Institute, Aspen will manufacture and distribute four routine vaccines in Africa- Pneumococcal, Rotavirus, Polyvalent Meningococcal, and Hexavalent- with technology transfer activities initiating in early 2023.

In addition to supporting the technology transfer of these routine vaccines, the funding from CEPI and the Gates Foundation will help sustain regional vaccine manufacturing capacity at Aspen for potential future outbreak response, with the intention of securing early access to African-produced vaccines in the event of a future public health emergency.