Benslimane Plant: First batch of vaccine production equipment arrives in Morocco
The first batch of vaccine production equipment from China has been delivered to Morocco Sunday. The equipment will enable the manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines and other products in the plant newly launched in Benslimane.
The shipment arrived from Shanghai, China, and will allow the assembly of the biotechnology unit in Benslimane, whose construction works were launched by King Mohammed VI at the end of last January, the aim being to reach self-sufficiency and help supply vaccines to African nations.
The 111 devices weighing a total of 35,000 tons, making up the entire turnkey plant, docked at the port of Casablanca Sunday.
This equipment will enable Morocco to become Africa’s much-needed COVID-19 vaccine supplier.
Sensyo Pharmatech has called upon Recipharm, a global manufacturer in the biotechnology and Fill&Finish industry to enable the transfer of know-how in the manufacture of future drugs and vaccines.
In a joint statement to the press on the occasion of the arrival of the first batch in the port of Casablanca, the CEOs of Sensyo Pharmatech and Recipharm, said that the arrival of this ship marks a “very important” step to achieve the realization of this project.
35,000 tons of equipment and buildings will be assembled on the Benslimane site” to enable Morocco to acquire a manufacturing capacity for vaccines and drugs in an aseptic environment for the needs of the Kingdom and the African continent, they said.
The first stage of production in the Benslimane plant will mostly be the syringing of anti-COVID and other vaccines, starting off with three industrial lines whose combined production capacity should reach 120 million units by the end of 2022.
This manufacturing capacity is equivalent to an output ranging from 300 to 450 million vaccine doses. A budget of 200 million euros has been allocated for this purpose, while the test batch production phase is scheduled for late July 2022.
Towards the end of 2022, the plant will initiate the manufacturing of industrial batches intended for distribution, once the testing phase is validated.
The Benslimane plant’s 3 industrial lines will reach a combined production capacity of 116 million units by 2024.
