Johannesburg, South Africa – Aspen Pharmacare, a global specialty and branded pharmaceutical company was honoured at the 4th South African Investment Conference (“SAIC”) when it was presented with an award, by South African President Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, recognising Companies that Best Responded to the Challenges of the COVID Environment.
The award acknowledges the role that Aspen has played in localising efforts to manufacture vaccines. Aspen has invested more than R8 billion in pharmaceutical manufacture at their flagship site in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape with a further investment of R500 million announced at the 2022 SAIC.
Stavros Nicolaou, Aspen Group Senior Executive Strategic Trade said, “It is an honour for Aspen to be presented with the 2022 SAIC Business Award. We are committed to quality healthcare for all patients across the 150 countries that we distribute our products to, but Africa will always be one of our priorities. Our actions during the COVID pandemic are testimony to our resolve. During this time we have invested significantly in sterile manufacture to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, and we recently secured a license agreement to produce our own COVID-19 vaccine, Aspenovax, for distribution throughout Africa. We remain fully committed to ensuring the equitable and sustainable supply of vaccines on the African continent.”
“The SA Investment Conference is a key priority for the South African Presidency and is front and center of South Africa’s economic reconstruction and recovery plan. Our commitments support President Ramaphosa’s goal of attracting R1.2 trillion in investments over 5 years of which 90% has already been secured. Aspen has been a significant contributor to this target having executed two investment pledges with one of these fully executed which has converted our Gqeberha site into one of the world’s largest manufacturing hubs for general anaesthetics.”