Morocco orders 1 million pneumonia vaccines from Chinese manufacturer

Chinese pharmaceuticals manufacturer Watson Biologicals announced on the evening of May 12 that its holding subsidiary, Yuxi Watson, received a first purchase order of 1 million doses of pneumonia vaccine from the Moroccan Ministry of Health.

Yuxi Watson will start supplying 13-valent pneumonia conjugate vaccine to Morocco in accordance with the order.

It is reported that in April 2021, Yuxi Watson entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with its Moroccan partner for the import, distribution, sale, and technology transfer of Yuxi Watson’s 13-valent pneumonia conjugate vaccine and the supply of its stock solution in Morocco. This purchase order is the first order under this agreement.

According to Watson, the purchase order from Morocco is in line with the company’s comprehensive internationalization strategy and represents an important step in the international marketing of the company’s 13-valent pneumonia conjugate vaccine.

The sales of the 13-valent pneumonia conjugate vaccine in Morocco “will have a positive impact on the company’s operating results,” said a statement from the pharmaceuticals producer.

This comes a few days after Morocco was announced to receive its first COVID-19 manufacturing equipment in mid-June, as the Kingdom accelerates its vaccine production capacities.

As of this date, a statement from Moroccan health authorities on the order has yet to be made.

However, considering how COVID-19 manifests itself as a particular kind of pneumonia, which is an infection of the lungs that occurs suddenly, the vials may be the government’s new strategy to combat the pandemic.

When pneumonia occurs, the alveoli in the lungs fill with pus and fluid instead of air to supply oxygen to the blood.

This causes fever and severe coughing makes breathing difficult and painful and limits the supply of oxygen to the body.

Pneumonia is usually caused by the proliferation of a bacterium, such as a pneumococcus, or a virus, such as the influenza virus or the recent SARS-CoV-2 virus causing COVID-19.

The Moroccan Ministry of Health launched the generalized vaccination of infants against pneumococcus in 2010, as the pneumococcal vaccine was introduced into the national immunization schedule to protect infants and young children from pneumococcal infections.

Developed to broaden protection against pneumococcus, the vaccine is currently available free of charge to children at health clinics.

However, vaccines for adults aged 65 and older, the most vulnerable population to develop severe pneumonia from COVID-19, is essential to fight COVID-19 complications.