Prognosis
Aspen May Close Covid Vaccine Line in Weeks as Talks Drag
- South African company could pivot to in-demand anasthetics
- Move is blow to African plans to prepare for new pandemics
Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg
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Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd. needs clear commitments within weeks from African governments for orders of its Covid-19 vaccine or will recommit that production line to more in-demand anesthetics.
The continent’s biggest drugmaker has been let down by the lack of interest in the shots -- a locally made version of Johnson & Johnson’s dose, according to head of strategic trade, Stavros Nicolaou.