The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire on Wednesday, disclosed that the Federal Executive Council, FEC, has approved the production of vaccines in commercial quantity to support routine immunization programmes in the country.
The FEC meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari also deliberated on the partnership deal which has been sealed with an Indian firm, Serum Institute of India.
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 to call the standard programme on immunization, not COVID-19 vaccine.
“As you know, the government has a joint venture agreement formed with a company called Bio vaccine Nigeria limited, which is to start producing vaccines domestically.
“Now, they are in sourcing for international partners, who will join them and give them the technology transfer that they require. And after going to various countries, including South Africa and Indonesia, they settled with the Serum Institute of India, which will now be the technical partner to support them in setting up the vaccine production plant in Nigeria.
“But of course, the Serum Institute of India as you know 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, procures from Serum Institute of India, and in the partnership, Serum Institute of India requires that you must have a certain order. It will help you to produce in Nigeria who will buy and that’s what we call 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 the government and they are supposed to be administered by the government through the Primary Health Care Development Agency.
“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”.