The multibillion drugs and vaccines manufacturing plant, which is being constructed by DEI Biopharma at Matugga in Wakiso District, near Kampala, Uganda, is nearing completion.
Under the facility that stands on 150 acres of land, Dei Biopharma Ltd will make the vital drugs for the East African region and beyond such as all types of vaccines, including mRNA vaccines, and other biological solutions listed as essential drugs; Filgrastim, Erythropoietin, and Trastuzumab, among others.
The project will cost $ 1.1 billion on full completion and already, more than $500 million has been invested by Dei Group, Equity Bank, Uganda Development Bank, Government of Uganda, and partners from the US and Europe. The company now needs $600 million to finish the construction of all the components of the facility.
Current Progress
1. Bio-tech facility. The first biotech facility in Africa under US patent (to be completed this year). The facility will produce the latest cancer drugs, biosimilars, peptides, cell therapy, biologics, cytokines, therapeutic proteins, Gene therapy and vaccines such as mNRA— subunit, recombiant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines. The facility is fully compliant with FDA, EU-EMA and WHO standards.
2. State of the Art Injectable Facility (80% complete).
3. The biggest warehousing facility in the region, complete with state-of-the art cold chain technology capable of storing 60,000 pallets of mRNA and other vaccines, plus other pharmaceutical products.
4. The YKTM (Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni) GLP Biotech Laboratories that include cancer research, QA/QC, drug discovery, gene therapy, cell therapy, mRNA therapeutics, vaccines, biosimilars and biologics. This facility is complete.
5. The Generic Section: This will manufacture more than 150 products/different drugs and medicines. This facility is complete.
6. State-of-the-art Nutraceuticals Section: This facility will produce tablet, capsules, sachets, ointment and syrup.
7. The Penicillin, Cephalosporin and Non-Beta Lactam Facility: The design of these facilities has been completed as per the most stringent FDA, WHO and EU-EMA guidelines by consultants from the US and Europe, and their construction will be completed next year.
8. The oncology/cancer manufacturing facility has been designed to meet the most stringent FDA standards under EOL5 guidelines and technology.
9. The virus vaccines facility: To be completed in the next year, the facility will produce the following vaccines;-
(i) Tetanus Toxoid (TT), a toxoid vaccine used to prevent tetanus.
(ii) Tetanus Diptheria vaccine that can prevent tetanus and diphtheria.
(iii) (Hep B) The Hepatitis B vaccine is also known as the first “anti-cancer” vaccine because it prevents hepatitis B, the leading cause of liver cancer worldwide.
(iv) (DTP-Hep B-Hib) Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis) or DTP, polio, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) are 6 infectious diseases that are particularly dangerous to babies. Combined immunisations enable maximum protection to begin as soon as possible after birth.
(v) (TIV / QIV). The most commonly used influenza vaccines are injected inactivated influenza vaccines. These come in a trivalent (3 strains; TIV) and quadrivalent (4 strains; QIV) design.
(vi) (PCV 10) The PCV-10 vaccine protects against infection by the pneumococcus bacteria, one of the most common causes of pneumonia in children.
(vii) (TCV) Typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCVs) are of particular interest to the global health community because they have the potential to overcome many of the challenges that impeded uptake of earlier vaccines.
(viii) COVID-19 Vaccine.
(ix) (HPV Bivalent) Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination: Three HPV vaccines—9-valent HPV vaccine (Gardasil 9, 9vHPV), quadrivalent HPV vaccine (Gardasil, 4vHPV), and bivalent HPV vaccine (Cervarix, 2vHPV)—have been licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). All three HPV vaccines protect against HPV types 16 and 18 that cause most HPV cancers.
