In September 2023 Revital Healthcare announced a “historic milestone in African manufacturing excellence”. The company was awarded Pre-Qualification (PQ) status by WHO in July 2023 for its early activation auto-disable (AD) syringe in Africa. This marks more than 10 years of commitment to injection safety in immunisation programming across Africa.
Early activation
The early activation feature is described as the “gold standard for safety in immunisation programmes”. It disables the syringe at the start of administration and injection. These devices have caused a substantial reduction in rates of blood-borne infections like HIV in immunisation programmes across Africa.
A milestone to celebrate
Although 8 manufacturers have WHO PQ status for the product, Revital is the “first and only” that is produced in Africa. This is expected to decrease average syringe transport times by up to 90%. Director of Marketing and Sales for Revital is Roneek Vora, who comments on the “historic” prequalification. This “exemplifies the transformative power of African innovation and manufacturing excellence”.
“Our commitment to the well-being of fellow people, especially children receiving life-saving immunisation, is our motivation to continue to progress.”
Gates Foundation support
Revital suggests that it will be able to produce “upwards of 300 million AD syringes every year”. This is supported by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Not only does the grant contribute towards the development of the product, but it created more than 200 local jobs in Kilifi County. Of these new roles, 80% have been assumed by women in “support of a joint commitment to gender equality”.
Violaine Mitchell, Director of Immunisation at the Gates Foundation, is “proud to support Revital’s efforts” to “sustainably expand the supply of these syringes”.
“As the first African manufacturer to be approved by WHO to produce early activation auto-disable syringes, Revital is paving the way to expand local production of syringes.”
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