NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

By Clemence Manyukwe

German biotech company BioNTech has said it will start manufacturing vaccines in Africa within 18 months after completing a manufacturing facility in Rwanda, a milestone the company stated it expects to reach by the end of this year. The company is also planning to set up plants in two other African countries, South Africa and Senegal, as part of what it describes as an effort to democratize access to novel medicines around the globe.

“Core to BioNTech’s business practices is to improve the health of people worldwide,” a company spokesperson told BioSpace in an email.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Schludi.