Ministry of Health to Begin Local Production of Seasonal Flu Vaccine

The Ministry of Health and Population has announced that local production of the seasonal flu vaccine will commence in April 2025. Dr Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the ministry’s spokesperson, stated that this initiative is part of ongoing efforts to localise the production of vaccines in collaboration with the Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines.

Currently, Egypt imports two key vaccines annually: the seasonal flu vaccine and the polio vaccine. The annual consumption of the flu vaccine ranges from 3 to 5 million doses, while demand for the polio vaccine is between 11 to 15 million doses.

Abdel Ghaffar also announced that the Holding Company has signed two contracts with a Korean firm for refilling and manufacturing vaccines locally. Additionally, agreements with international companies will transfer the production of the polio vaccine to Egypt, with the goal of exporting it to Europe.

This initiative aims to reduce reliance on imports and increase Egypt’s capacity to produce vaccines locally. The Ministry is also working to bring advanced vaccine manufacturing technologies to local companies.