PRETORIA - President Cyril Ramaphosa has launched the CSIR’s FuturePharma facility in Pretoria.
The facility is designed to strengthen South Africa’s ability to develop and manufacture medicines and vaccines locally.
It aims to reduce the country’s reliance on imported medicines while creating opportunities to develop new treatments locally.
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“It is quite amazing that from a plant and which from which many medicines are made, but that we can do it here and tell a plant to produce a vaccine," the president said.
"This for me is a game changer. So South Africa has a proud history of scientific achievement, and today I stand here and tell you that we are very proud of what has been achieved here and we applaud the CSIR for the many wonderful creations that you are continuing to develop.”
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The CSIR says FuturePharma will bring researchers and pharmaceutical companies together, providing access to the technology, expertise and facilities needed to turn promising research into medicines.
The facility is also expected to help bridge the gap between scientific research and commercial pharmaceutical production.
For government, the investment is part of a broader push to strengthen South Africa’s pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity and improve the country’s resilience in securing essential medicines.