Mobile On Demand COVID-19 Vaccine Production Units for Developing Countries

Abstract

Almost two years into the COVID-19 pandemic and one year after the approval of the first vaccine, bottlenecks in production and supply chain infrastructure continue to delay vaccination campaigns in the Global South. Mobile on Demand (MOD) vaccine manufacture may help quickly ramp up production capacity while bypassing infrastructure bottlenecks. Such decentralised small-scale factories can help tip the scales in the battle against COVID-19 and future pandemics. In this work, we designed two MOD vaccine manufacturing units based on a protein antigen expressed in yeast and in vitro transcription of mRNA. Each unit consists of two shipping containers and allows to produce on the order of 10,000 vaccine doses daily for competitive prices and in close proximity of their end users. Abandoning economies of scale may lead to a moderate increase in production costs that may be outweighed by reduced closed-vial dose wastage and an earlier protection of vulnerable populations.