SA Expat Dr Soon-Shiong Opens Vaccine Production Campus in South Africa this Week

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to join Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong, founder of the multinational conglomerate NantWorks, LLC, in launching the NantSA vaccine manufacturing campus in Brackenfell, Cape Town, on Wednesday.

The President and Dr Soon-Shiong will also launch the Coalition to Accelerate Africa’s Access to Advanced Healthcare (The AAAH Coalition).

This follows last September’s announcement by Dr Soon-Shiong of an ambitious initiative to build capacity for advanced health care in Africa.

NantSA, a division of NantWorks, and The AAAH Coalition aim to accelerate domestic production of pharmaceuticals, biologics and vaccines that will reach patients across the African continent.

In a statement on Monday, The Presidency said that through the synergistic efforts of  members of The AAAH Coalition, self-reliance will be accelerated around next-generation vaccines manufactured in South Africa for Africa, innovative therapeutics and pandemic preparedness.

“With the support of the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation, institutes for infectious disease and cancer centres of excellence will be established at the universities of Cape Town and the Witwatersrand and the Chan Soon-Shiong Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CSS CERI) at the University of Stellenbosch,” the Presidency said.

President Ramaphosa and Dr Soon-Shiong will perform a ribbon-cutting for the official launch of the NantSA vaccine manufacturing campus at Brackengate and also present the vision and mission of The AAAH Coalitions.

The event will be attended by a select group of invitees including representatives of government, academia and the biotech industry.

The US-based South African expat announced a R3-billion pledge last May, to transfer the latest technology for producing vaccines and biological therapies to South Africa.

– SAnews.gov.za and SAPeople.com