An Evaluation of Local Pharmaceutical Manufacturing in Zimbabwe: How Prepared is Zimbabwe to Produce COVID-19 Vaccines?

Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact, given the rise in the demand for novel therapeutics such as vaccines that can be used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Compared to other regions of the world, gross vaccine inequity exists in Africa due to several factors tied to the acute lack of vaccines in the region. As a result, efforts are currently being made to ramp up the production of COVID-19 vaccines in the region. However, there are concerns that most countries in Africa lack the adequate pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity required to produce COVID-19 vaccines, and Zimbabwe is not an exception. This article, therefore, aims to evaluate the preparedness and readiness efforts of the Zimbabwean pharmaceutical industry in the production of COVID-19 vaccines.