Onderstepoort Biological Products

What Onderstepoort Biological Products does

Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) is a South African veterinary vaccine manufacturer headquartered in Pretoria that produces and distributes vaccines for livestock diseases, principally foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The company was founded in 1936 as a government-affiliated vaccine facility and operates as the country's only domestic FMD vaccine manufacturer, with a headcount of 51-100 employees. Historically, OBP held exclusive rights alongside the South African Department of Agriculture for FMD vaccine procurement and distribution, supplying national vaccination efforts across all nine provinces.

In February 2026, OBP resumed domestic FMD vaccine production for the first time in approximately twenty years, in response to a national FMD outbreak that reached 1,072 confirmed and 714 suspected cases across the country. To augment domestic capacity, OBP facilitated an order of 5 million vaccine doses from Argentina's Biogénesis Bagó as part of a mass vaccination programme targeting roughly 80% of South Africa's cattle herd of approximately 12 million animals. The outbreak caused a 69% drop in livestock exports to China and a 26% fall in overall beef exports in 2025, underscoring the strategic importance of OBP's role in disease containment and trade recovery.

OBP's go-to-market is government-directed through the Department of Agriculture's national vaccination programme, with no disclosed commercial pricing or marketing channels. A July 2026 legal settlement with Sakeliga, the Southern Agri Initiative, and Free State Agriculture ended OBP's exclusive procurement and distribution rights, opening a parallel private-sector import and distribution channel. OBP reports no private equity, venture capital, or institutional investment, and detailed product portfolio, revenue, and pricing data are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Onderstepoort Biological Products

Legal name

Onderstepoort Biological Products

Website

https://obpvaccines.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Onderstepoort Biological Products is a South African government-affiliated veterinary vaccine manufacturer based in Pretoria that produces and distributes foot-and-mouth disease vaccines to the Department of Agriculture and commercial livestock farmers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veterinary Vaccines

NAICS

Veterinary Services (541940)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Vaccines (Biologics) (HLAMAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Livestock Vaccines (Cattle, Swine, Sheep & Goats) (HLAMAKAB), Vaccine Manufacturing & Contract Services (Veterinary Vaccine CDMO) (HLAMAKAI), Veterinary Vaccine & Biologics Distributors (HLAMAIAC), Veterinary Pharmacy, Vaccine & Biologics Services (AFAEANAK)

Keywords

• Veterinary vaccines
• Livestock health products
• Foot-and-mouth disease vaccines
• Animal biological products
• Veterinary biologics

Headquarters

HQ city

Pretoria

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Distribution channels2 records

Core offering

Onderstepoort Biological Products manufactures and distributes veterinary biological products for livestock in South Africa, with its primary focus on foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines. The company operates as South Africa's primary domestic vaccine manufacturer, historically holding exclusive arrangements with the Department of Agriculture for FMD vaccine procurement and distribution, and serves as a key domestic manufacturing partner in the national vaccination programme targeting the country's approximately 12-14 million cattle.

Product overview

Onderstepoort Biological Products is a South African veterinary biological products company that manufactures and distributes foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines. The company operates as a government-linked vaccine producer, with domestic vaccine production recently resuming after a two-decade hiatus. Its products are distributed through government-controlled channels alongside the government vaccination programme, with recent legal settlements now allowing private sector importation and distribution of FMD vaccines. No specific product names, product pages, or detailed product portfolio information is available in the accessible source data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine Veterinary vaccine used to immunise cattle against foot-and-mouth disease, administered as part of South Africa's national vaccination programme targeting approximately 80% of the national herd. Supplied to the South African Department of Agriculture and, since July 2026, also to commercial livestock farmers through newly permitted private-sector distribution channels.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5 million doses ordered from Argentina through Onderstepoort Biological Products as part of mass vaccination targeting 80% of national herd

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• South African Department of AgriculturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnderstepoort Biological Products has historically operated under exclusive government arrangements with the Department of Agriculture for FMD vaccine procurement and distribution. The company serves as a key domestic manufacturing partner in the national vaccination programme, with 5 million doses ordered through the company from Argentina targeting 80% of the national herd of approximately 12 million animals. Following a 2026 settlement, exclusive rights were relinquished.
• Argentina (Biogénesis Bagó)coreTechnology or IntegrationOnderstepoort Biological Products facilitated ordering of 5 million FMD vaccine doses from Argentina's Biogénesis Bagó as part of the national vaccination programme. The arrangement combines imported vaccines from Argentina with domestic production resuming at Onderstepoort Biological Products for the first time in two decades.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Phibro Animal Health: Animal health and nutrition company with vaccines and biologics offerings for livestock. Comparable as an emerging player operating in the same livestock health ecosystem with overlapping product categories to OBP.
• Indian Immunologicals: India-based veterinary vaccine manufacturer producing FMD and other livestock vaccines, often supplying government vaccination programmes in developing markets. Comparable as an emerging regional player serving similar government-led livestock disease control use cases.

Direct peers

• Biogénesis Bagó: Argentina-based global leader in FMD vaccine manufacturing and OBP's own strategic supply partner for the 5 million-dose order. Directly comparable as a veterinary biologics manufacturer focused on FMD and other livestock vaccines for government-led eradication campaigns.
• Botswana Vaccine Institute: State-linked Southern African veterinary vaccine manufacturer producing FMD and other livestock vaccines. Directly comparable as a regional government-affiliated producer serving national disease control programmes in a similar regulatory and customer environment to OBP.

Broad incumbents

• MSD Animal Health (Merck Animal Health): Global animal health division of Merck offering a comprehensive portfolio including livestock vaccines and biologicals. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping livestock vaccine capabilities targeting similar commercial farmer and government customers.
• Vetoquinol: Global animal health company with a livestock-focused vaccines and pharmaceuticals portfolio. Comparable as an incumbent serving commercial livestock producers with overlapping product categories.
• Ceva Santé Animale: Major global animal health company with significant livestock vaccine operations, including FMD-related biologics in selected markets. Comparable as a multi-species veterinary biologics manufacturer serving both commercial and government segments.
• Zoetis: World's largest animal health company with an extensive livestock vaccine portfolio. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving the same veterinary biologics customers (farmers, governments) with overlapping livestock vaccine capabilities.
• Elanco Animal Health: Large global animal health company with a livestock vaccines portfolio including cattle vaccines. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving the same commercial livestock farmer and government veterinary segments.
• Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health: One of the largest global animal health companies with a broad veterinary vaccines and biologics portfolio including livestock vaccines. Comparable as a large incumbent operating in the same veterinary biologics category OBP specialises in, though at much greater scale and geographic breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/obpvaccines
• Facebookfacebook.com/Onderstepoort-Biological-Products-
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/obpvaccines

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Onderstepoort Biological Products