Would Tunisia be the Next Producer of COVID-19 Vaccines?

A French newspaper confirmed that Tunisia has positioned itself in a promising economic market by responding to the call of the World Health Organization to assess its potential in the production of vaccines.

"Jeun Afrique" indicated that the Corona pandemic "was at the main issue of the working visit" made by Tunisian Prime Minister Hicham Mechichi to the Swiss city of Geneva on June 8 and 9, 2021.

The Prime Minister submitted his country's case to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), in order to obtain doses of vaccines against Covid-19 (Corona), as well as to reach the promising market for its manufacture.

Mechichi spoke with the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who has promised to help Tunisia.

Favorable Environment

In this context, "Jeune Afrique" interviewed the director of the Pasteur Institute in Tunisia, the head of the field vaccination committee, Hechmi Louzir.

"Tunisia has requested the support of the World Health Organization in order to benefit from the assistance of the national regulatory authority for the sector, and projects for the distribution of sterile vaccines or a platform for the production of AstraZeneca acid vaccines," he said.

He added, "Tunisia can be a country that produces vaccines for its population to confront the Coronavirus, as well as other vaccines."

The minister pointed out that "there is already a risk that the strategy to produce the anti-coronavirus vaccine will take some time, and that it will not be a concern when it is effective."

He stressed that "the country's capabilities are undeniable given its history, as the Pasteur Institute is already producing the BCG (BCG) anti-TB vaccine, as well as vaccines."

The minister considered that "the country's pharmaceutical industry is well organized, and we are ready to accommodate the development of such technologies, and we also have a favorable scientific environment with highly trained engineers and biotechnologists, as well as a favorable legal system and legislative regulations."

"We can also consider working on research and development on diseases for which there is no vaccine yet," he added.

No Property

Regarding the World Health Organization’s identification of 5 or 6 regional hubs for vaccine production in Africa, the minister said: “The organization launched a call for expressions of interest in April 2021 to identify such hubs, especially in low- and middle-income countries.”

"The World Health Organization will initially be responsible for identifying production capabilities to facilitate exchange, establishment of structures, technology transfer or dispatch of experts," he explained.

He pointed out that "Tunisia submitted a request through the Pasteur Institute, and therefore informed the World Health Organization that it could take these technologies."

He stressed that "this can be done by partnerships and possibly technology transfer with one or more industrial partners, European or international entities, such as research institutes, start-ups or world-renowned pharmaceutical companies.

On the possibility of the participation of the "Technological Pole" of Sidi Thabet (northwest of Tunisia) in this process, the minister explained that "the pole already includes a number of institutions, such as a veterinary school, a nuclear energy research center, a biotechnology training center, and also a business incubator."

He added, "We can imagine that in the event of technology transfer or partnership with specialists that master different aspects of the manufacture of AstraZeneca vaccines, they will be invited for preparation in this technological field."

On World Trade's support for these efforts, the Director of Pasteur said: "The World Trade Organization coordinates with the World Health Organization, and it is highly involved in these issues related to supporting technology transfer and making patents available."

The minister pointed out that "Mechichi, during his meeting with Okonjo-Iweala, talked about raising the intellectual property of the anti-Covid-19 vaccines."

The Minister stressed that this decision "would be good, but not sufficient, and in any case, this measure must be supported by a technology transfer strategy in order to improve opportunities for the development of these projects."