Health & Science Correspondent
The Biovac Institute has retained a critical contract to supply the state with Hexaxim, the six-in-one shot provided to babies and toddlers in the national childhood immunisation programme.
The R5.3bn contract, announced in the health department’s next three-year vaccine tender, is vital for Biovac’s stability as it relies on the state for business. It was forced to retrench staff in 2023 after the health department rejected its pneumonia vaccine in favour of cheaper imports from India.
While Biovac plans to export vaccines in the future, Hexaxim remains key in the short to medium term, said Biovac CEO Morena Makhoana.
Biovac has won three of the eight contracts in the R8bn vaccine tender, which begins on January 1 2027. In addition to Hexaxim, Biovac also won the supply contracts for BCG, which protects babies against TB, and a combined measles and rubella vaccine.
