J&J and Aspen Ink a Deal to Make a COVID-19 Vaccine in Africa

Aspen Pharmacare of South Africa is collaborating with Johnson & Johnson (J&J) subsidiary Janssen to manufacture and supply an Aspen-branded COVID-19 vaccine called Aspenovax throughout Africa.

Aspen will manufacture the finished Aspenovax product from drug substance supplied by J&J and will supply the vaccine in Africa through transactions with designated multilateral organizations and with national governments of member states of the African Union.

Early on in the pandemic, J&J chose Aspen as a core manufacturing partner and said a year ago that it planned to work with Aspen on a COVID-19 vaccine for Africa.

Currently, only 12 percent of people living in Africa have been vaccinated against COVID-19 — well below the World Health Organization’s target of 70 percent population coverage for all countries.