Morocco’s King chairs launching ceremony of vaccine manufacturing plant

CASABLANCA – Morocco’s King Mohammed VI chaired in the province of Benslimane the launching ceremony of the works for the construction of a manufacturing plant for COVID-19 and other vaccines for both Morocco and the African continent.

This industrial unit is in line with the Moroccan monarch’s vision to position the North African kingdom as a key biotechnology hub in Africa and in the world, capable of meeting the health needs of the continent in both the short and long terms, by integrating pharmaceutical research, clinical development, manufacturing and marketing of biopharmaceutical products of great necessity.

The Benslimane project, which will cost up to 500 million euros, consists of setting up a plant for the manufacture and syringing of vaccines (anti-COVID and other vaccines) with 3 industrial lines whose combined production capacity will reach 116 million units in 2024.

These lines will be dedicated to the production of pre-filled syringes, liquid vials and lyophilized vials. The projected investment is approximately €200 million, and the start of production of the trial batches is scheduled for July 30.

The project, which is the result of a public-private partnership, including the support of one of the world leaders in biotechnology and the "Fill & Finish" industry, the Swedish company Recipharm, will ensure Morocco's self-sufficiency in vaccines and make the country a leading biotechnology platform on the African continent and the world in the field of the "fill & finish" industry.

Named "SENSYO Pharmatech", the industrial unit, the largest platform by capacity of Fill & Finish of vaccines in Africa, will eventually become one of the first 5 in the world. This large-scale project aims, in the medium term (2022-2025), to transfer the aseptic filling and active substance manufacturing of more than 20 vaccines and bio-therapeutic products, including 3 anti-Covid-19 vaccines, to Morocco in less than 3 years, covering more than 70% of the Kingdom's needs and more than 60% of those of the Continent.

It is planned in this framework the transfer to Morocco of advanced biotechnology platforms, including clinical research, development and production of cell and gene therapies, stem cells, and advanced in vitro diagnostic technologies.

The project aims, in the long term (2023-2030), the creation of an African Pole of biopharmaceutical and vaccine innovation in Morocco recognized worldwide and this, within the framework of a partnership between major international players in the fields of research and development of advanced technologies in vaccines and bio-therapeutic products and all Moroccan institutions of supervision, including the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Industry and Finance.

A massive and continuous transfer of know-how is planned to position the Kingdom in the next 5 years as the continent's locomotive in research, development and production of advanced biopharmaceutical products.

It should be noted that today, thanks to the mobilization of aseptic filling lines available locally in Morocco as well as the transfer of the filling of vials in clean room of the vaccine against COVID-19 of Sinopharm to Morocco, the kingdom produces more than 3 million doses locally per month. Production capacity will increase to about 5 million doses starting in February 2022 and to more than 20 million doses per month by the end of 2022. By 2025, Morocco will be able to produce more than 2 billion doses of vaccine.

King Mohammed VI chaired the signing ceremony of the investment agreement for the realization of the manufacturing unit of anti COVID-19 and other vaccines in Benslimane, 30 kilometres away from Casablanca.

Morocco is taking another step towards effective and proactive management of the pandemic crisis and its consequences under the King’s leadership.