First BioNTainer ready for African shores

BioNTech SE has reached the next milestone in the establishment of scalable mRNA vaccine production in Africa with the construction of six ISO-sized shipping containers for the first BioNTainer

Each BioNTainer is built of six ISO sized containers which allows for vaccine production in bulk. (Image source: BioNTech)

The containers have now undergone inspection and quality checks and are being prepared for shipment to Kigali, Rwanda, where they will be arrive in Q1 2023.

While this was being undertaken in Europe, BioNTech has continued to develop and build its manufacturing facility in Kigali following the groundbreaking in June 2022.

The facility will be housing the first BioNTainers and is expected to become a node in a decentralised and robust end-to-end manufacturing network in Africa. BioNTech also expects to ship BioNTainers to Senegal and potentially South Africa in close coordination with each respective country and the African Union. 

Vaccines to be manufactured in this Africa-wide network will be dedicated to people residing in member states of the African Union, with the aim to support access to novel medicines.

In addition, BioNTech is advancing mRNA-based vaccine candidates to address malaria and tuberculosis, based on the company’s mRNA platform. The vaccine candidates are expected to enter first-in-human trials in late 2022 or early 2023.

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