Local production drives vaccine cooperation

Growing interest among developing countries in building their own vaccine production capacity is creating new opportunities for cooperation with Chinese manufacturers, Miao Xiang, head of the international business unit at Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products, said.

"Developing countries increasingly want to do more than import vaccines. They want to build their own production capacity and become more self-reliant," he told China Daily on the sidelines of the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network's annual general meeting in Beijing.

In Indonesia, a locally filled product of a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine developed by Kangtai's Beijing subsidiary was approved for sale in 2025, according to the company. It targets 13 types of pneumococcal bacteria, which can cause pneumonia.

The partnership covers bulk vaccine supply and the transfer of filling and testing technologies. Miao said it required close cooperation from process validation through to local regulatory approval.

He said the global vaccine industry is becoming more diversified as manufacturers in China, Indonesia and Egypt expand their capabilities. Technologies such as mRNA and recombinant proteins are also reaching more producers through research advances and international cooperation.

A broader manufacturing base would help make vaccine supplies more resilient and support public health needs in developing countries, Miao said.

"We still have a gap to close with the world's most advanced producers, and we need to keep learning and catching up," he said. "At the same time, we have accumulated considerable technical expertise and industrial experience that can help other developing countries improve vaccine production."

Product exports remain important, with overseas registration and World Health Organization prequalification helping companies reach more national immunization programs, he said.

Cooperation can go further through joint research, joint ventures to build factories and partnerships serving regional markets. Kangtai is exploring such arrangements, with the aim of helping develop regional vaccine industries, Miao said.

These projects require patience. Companies must navigate differences in regulatory requirements, market conditions and business cultures, while technology transfer itself is a complex undertaking, he said.

"A vaccine can take 10 years or even longer to move from research and development to market, and an international cooperation project can take several years from initial discussions to implementation," he said.

Kangtai plans to deepen cooperation in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America, where demand is growing and interest in local production is strong, Miao said.

He called for fewer barriers to international cooperation, saying the pandemic had shown both the benefits of working together and the costs of fragmentation.

"Vaccines are public goods. Their ultimate purpose is to protect more people's health, and that goal goes beyond national borders and individual companies," Miao said.