This will ensure vaccines are delivered safely and quickly across the continent
Medical device manufacturing company, Revital Healthcare EPZ Ltd., has been granted a Pre-Qualification (PQ) status by the World Health Organization (WHO) that if successful will see the company manufacture “auto-disable (AD) syringe” in Africa.
The early-activation feature is the gold standard for safety in immunization programs as preferred by UNICEF, and renders the syringe disabled at the start of administering and injection. Historically, the introduction of these devices have resulted in substantial reductions in rates of blood-borne infections such as HIV in immunization programs across Africa. This work was made possible through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation.
“As the first African manufacturer to be approved by WHO to produce early activation auto-disable
syringes, Revital is paving the way to expand local production of syringes,” said Violaine Mitchell, Director of Immunization at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
There are currently eight manufacturers who have WHO PQ status for the syringes, however Revital’s is the first and only to be produced in Africa. The company will be able to produce upwards of 300 million AD syringes per year, a move that is expected to decrease average syringe transport times by up to 80-90% for Africa, critical for rapid outbreak response and timely immunization campaigns.
“We are proud to support Revital’s efforts to sustainably expand the supply of these syringes in Africa and ensure vaccines are delivered safely and quickly across the continent,” said Mitchell.
