Closely held PharmaJet has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Egyptian Unified Procurement Authority (UPA) and closely held EVA Pharma. The agreement aims to explore the integration of needle-free delivery of inactivated polio vaccine into Egypt’s routine immunization program.
The signing took place in Cairo at the African Health ExCon healthcare conference on June 26. The MOU includes provisions for distribution, technology transfer, manufacturing, and new pharmaceutical product development, with the shared goal of expanding needle-free access within Egypt and across the region.
In a statement, Paul LaBarre, VP of business development at PharmaJet, commented, “This collaboration with UPA and EVA Pharma has the potential to enable the children of Egypt to gain from the benefits of intradermal (ID) delivery with reduced pain and administration time.”
He added, “The UPA would benefit through cost savings and novel pharma product development and manufacturing opportunities with needle-free delivery, and we would be thrilled to expand PharmaJet’s commercial applications into Egypt and regionally. It’s a win-win all around. We look forward to contributing to early childhood development in this region by increasing the positive impact of needle-free immunization.”
PharmaJet’s Tropis ID system has been widely used for inactivated polio vaccine delivery in campaigns and supplemental immunization activities. It has been rigorously evaluated in a routine immunization setting, with two recently published studies showing greater than 94% acceptability among healthcare workers and caregivers, reduced administration time, and more than 50% reduction in immunization-related adverse events compared to intradermal needle delivery.
The adoption of the Tropis Needle-free system offers strategic advantages for Egypt, including immunization cost savings of 38% or more over six years, reduced vaccine hesitancy, increased coverage, and the potential for localized medical technology.
Introducing Tropis alongside concurrent manufacturing technology transfer has the potential to advance UPA’s goal of becoming the leader of immunization excellence and a hub of needle-free product manufacturing for the Middle East and Northern Africa. The initiative supports pandemic preparedness, reduces immunization costs, and aligns with Egypt’s Universal Health Insurance project.
Nicolas Boege, director of global commercial and corporate development at EVA Pharma, remarked, “This collaboration can transform immunization by making it safer, more accessible, and less painful for children and caregivers. By introducing this technology, alongside localized technology transfer and manufacturing, EVA Pharma is committed to scaling innovation that strengthens public health systems. We are proud to collaborate with UPA and PharmaJet to localize needle-free delivery and accelerate its integration into Egypt’s immunization programs and beyond.”
