Walvax → Vaccine and Biotechnology City

Why this matters

On 26 October 2026, Egypt's Vaccine and Biotechnology City (VBC) and China's Walvax signed an agreement launching the technology transfer for local production of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13). Tofflon joins the project to transfer the manufacturing-equipment technology and prepare the production lines. Health and Population Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar attended, alongside the head of the Unified Procurement Authority and the vice chairman of the Egyptian Drug Authority. Officials described it as Egypt's first locally produced PCV13, with exports targeted at 19 countries in Africa and the Middle East.

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines are among the most expensive products in a childhood immunisation schedule, and the minister described adding the vaccine to Egypt's routine programme before 2030 as a national priority. This is Egypt's second Chinese pneumococcal partnership this year, after VACSERA's agreement with Minhai Biotechnology in January. Egypt is building a domestic conjugate-vaccine base with Chinese technology rather than waiting for a Western originator.