Vaccines made in South Africa to stay in Africa, says envoy

Vaccine doses produced by a plant in South Africa will no longer be exported to Europe after the intervention of South Africa’s government, the African Union’s COVID-19 vaccine envoy said Thursday

KAMPALA, Uganda -- Vaccine doses produced by a plant in South Africa will no longer be exported to Europe following the intervention of South Africa’s government, the African Union's COVID-19 vaccine envoy said Thursday. South African drug manufacturer Aspen Pharmacare, which has a contract with Johnson & Johnson to assemble the ingredients of its COVID-19 vaccine, will produce for the African continent and millions of doses that had been shipped to European countries but remain in warehouses will be returned, Strive Masiyiwa told reporters. J&J doses produced in South Africa “will stay in Africa and will be distributed in Africa,” he said. The arrangement for some doses finished in South Africa to be exported to Europe “has been suspended,” he said, adding that the issue was “corrected in a positive way.” Aspen’s agreement with Johnson & Johnson has changed from a contract deal to “a licensed arrangement” similar to the production in India of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The Aspen product will be “African branded," he said.