The Nigerian government has approved the production of vaccines in commercial quantity to support routine immunization programmes in the country.
Minister of Health Osagie Ehanire said this on Wednesday while briefing State house correspondents at the end of the weekly meeting of the executive council of the Federation chaired by President Muhammadu buhari at the State house Abuja.
He said the partnership deal has been sealed with an Indian firm, Serum Institute of India.
He explained that In the new arrangement, Bio Vaccine Nigeria, an indigenous public firm will control 15 percent of the market share, which will be used for contract manufacturing of those vaccines as an initial step over the next few years when the plant in Nigeria will start to work.
Giving further details shortly after the meeting, Ehanire said, “Council considered a memorandum from the Ministry of Health today, which has to do with the first stage in indigenizing vaccine production in Nigeria, we are talking first of all the routine vaccines, the one we call the standard programme on immunization, not COVID-19 vaccine. As you know, government has a joint venture agreement with the company that’s called Bio vaccine Nigeria limited, which is to start producing vaccines domestically. Now, they are sourcing for international partners, who will join them and give the technology transfer that they require. And after going to various countries, South Africa, Indonesia, they settled with a Serum Institute of India, which will now be the technical partners to support them in setting up the vaccine production plant in Nigeria. But of course, the Serium Institute of India is the largest vaccine producer in the world, and also has vaccines that are approved by World Health Organization. So all of our countries, including UNICEF, procure from Serum Institute of India, and in the partnership, Serum Institute of India requires that you must have a certain order. It would help you produce in Nigeria and that’s what we call the market access because vaccines are not things you put on the shelves where people will go and buy like Panadol. They have been purchased by government and they are supposed to be administered by government through the Primary Health Care Development Agency.
“So who will buy? So government now has approved 15% of the vaccines that UNICEF normally supplies for bio vaccine through contract manufacturing, Serium Institute of India and with this, Serium Institute of India will now be comfortable enough to come and join Bio vaccine of Nigeria, in building their manufacturing plant here in Nigeria in Ota. So that arrangement has now been approved by the Federal Executive Council for Bio Vaccine Nigeria to have 15 percent of the market share, which will be used for contract manufacturing of those vaccines as an initial step over the next few years when the plant in Nigeria starts to work. So that was the approval that council gave today.”
The Minister also spoke on monkey pox which he described as a low grade problem.
“Well, monkey pox has been in Nigeria for quite a few years as the low grade problem. But although it’s very unpleasant.So all over the 818 or 820 cases we have seen in Nigeria, there have not been more than seven fatalities. And those fatalities are those who had other illnesses and not necessarily those people that it caused their demise”
Editor : Ena Agbanoma
