Design Biologix

Name

Design Biologix

Legal name

Design Biologix

Website

https://designbio.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Health Vaccines

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Vaccines (Biologics) (HLAMAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Autogenous (Herd-Specific) Vaccines (HLAMAKAF), Livestock Vaccines (Cattle, Swine, Sheep & Goats) (HLAMAKAB), Vaccine Manufacturing & Contract Services (Veterinary Vaccine CDMO) (HLAMAKAI), Vaccine R&D, Clinical/Field Trials & Regulatory Affairs (HLAMAKAM), Vaccine Technology Platforms (Live, Inactivated, Subunit, Vector, mRNA/DNA) (HLAMAKAH), Livestock & Production Animal Therapeutics (Rx) (HLAMAEAB)

Keywords

• Animal vaccines
• Veterinary pharmaceuticals
• Livestock health products
• Autogenous vaccines
• Mineral supplements cattle

Headquarters

HQ city

Pretoria

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Vaccine Sales: Development, registration, and manufacturing of vaccines for prophylactic control of animal diseases. Products sold directly to commercial livestock farmers and through veterinary channels. Revenue is generated through product sales with account-based ordering.
2. Autogenous Vaccine Manufacturing: Custom farm-specific vaccine manufacturing service for herd-specific antigens. Produces bespoke inactivated/killed vaccines for emergency and specific disease control needs across multiple species.
3. Multi-Mineral Supplements: Manufacturing and sale of injectable multi-mineral supplements for cattle, sheep and goats for prevention, maintenance or correction of mineral deficiencies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Design Biologix develops, registers, and manufactures veterinary vaccines and injectable multi-mineral supplements for the commercial animal market, with a portfolio of 17 named products covering cattle, sheep, goats, and multi-species applications. The company also produces custom autogenous vaccines for herd-specific disease control across any animal species, including wildlife and aquaculture. All manufacturing is conducted under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards and European Pharmacopoeia standards at its Pretoria facility.

Product overview

Design Biologix is a specialist in developing, registering, and manufacturing animal vaccines and injectable multi-mineral supplements for the commercial animal market. The company offers a portfolio of 17 named products across three categories: (1) Cattle vaccines including BEF-TECT, Bovipox, Bru-Tect S19, Clostrivax B, Clostrivax B+, Multisomni; (2) Sheep & Goats vaccines including Blu-Vax, Bru-Tect Rev 1, Chlamyvax, Clostrivax O, Enterotect P, Ovipast, Ovivax; (3) Multi-species products including Chlamyvax; (4) Supplements including Micromin B, Micromin O, Micromin O+; (5) Ancillary products including Sterile Diluent; and (6) Autogenous/custom vaccines for farm-specific disease control. The product line addresses diseases including brucellosis, clostridial diseases, bluetongue, lumpy skin disease, foot-and-mouth disease, pasteurellosis, and respiratory complexes. Design Biologix operates as a single-product company with a unified manufacturing platform aligned to European Pharmacopoeia and Act 36 of 1947 standards, serving commercial livestock producers, veterinarians, and wildlife managers across Southern Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BEF-TECT Inactivated adjuvanted vaccine for the prophylactic immunisation of cattle against ephemeral fever (3-day-stiff-sickness disease).
• Blu-Vax Inactivated adjuvanted polyvalent bluetongue virus (BTV) vaccine formulated as an emulsion for the active immunisation of healthy sheep against bluetongue disease.
• Bovipox Vaccine used for the prophylactic immunisation of cattle against lumpy skin disease.
• Bru-Tect Rev 1 Lyophilised vaccine containing live attenuated Brucella melitensis Rev 1 for the prevention of ovine and caprine brucellosis.
• Bru-Tect S19 Lyophilised vaccine containing live attenuated Brucella abortus S19 for the prevention of bovine brucellosis (contagious abortion), supporting breeding production, milk production, milk sterility, and prevention of milk contamination.
• Chlamyvax Inactivated bivalent vaccine for the active immunisation of healthy cattle, sheep and goats against enzootic abortion caused by Chlamydia abortus and subclinical disease manifestations including infectious conjunctivitis, arthritis, infertility, enteritis, mastitis and reduced growth rates caused by Chlamydia pecorum.
• Clostrivax B Adjuvanted multi-component vaccine for the active immunisation of cattle against diseases caused by Clostridium perfringens type A, C. botulinum types C and D, C. novyi type A and B, C. chauvoei, C. sordellii, C. septicum, and Mannheimia haemolytica type A1.
• Clostrivax B+ Adjuvanted multi-component vaccine for the active immunisation of cattle against diseases caused by Clostridium perfringens type A, C. botulinum types C and D, C. novyi types A and B, C. chauvoei, C. sordellii, C. septicum, Mannheimia haemolytica type A1, and Bacillus anthracis.
• Clostrivax O Adjuvanted multi-component vaccine for the active immunisation of sheep against diseases caused by Clostridium perfringens type A and D, C. tetani, C. novyi types A and B, C. chauvoei, Bibersteinia trehalosi, C. septicum, and Mannheimia haemolytica type A1.
• Enterotect P Vaccine for healthy sheep and goats as an aid in preventing pneumonic pasteurellosis caused by Mannheimia haemolytica, enterotoxaemia caused by Clostridium perfringens Type A, and pulpy kidney caused by Clostridium perfringens Type D. Safe for use in pregnant animals with maternal antibody transfer to newborns.
• Micromin B Injectable multi-mineral supplement for cattle for prevention, maintenance or correction of diagnosed deficiencies of manganese, copper, chromium, zinc and selenium during critical phases of the production or breeding cycle.
• Micromin O Injectable multi-mineral supplement for cattle and sheep for prevention, maintenance or correction of diagnosed deficiencies of manganese, zinc and selenium during critical phases of the production or breeding life cycle.
• Micromin O+ Injectable multi-mineral supplement for cattle and sheep for prevention, maintenance or correction of diagnosed deficiencies of manganese, copper, zinc and selenium during critical phases of the production or breeding life cycle.
• Multisomni Adjuvanted multi-component vaccine for the active immunisation of healthy cattle against bovine pneumonia caused by Pasteurella multocida type A, P. multocida type D, and Histophilus somni.
• Ovipast Adjuvanted multi-valent vaccine formulated with Mannheimia haemolytica leukotoxin and lipopolysaccharide antigens, as well as Pasteurella multocida type A bacterin. Aids in prevention of sheep and goat pneumonia (Pasteurellosis).
• Ovivax Inactivated combination vaccine for the active immunisation of healthy sheep and goats against respiratory disease complex caused by Mannheimia haemolytica serotype A1, Pasteurella multocida serotype A, Bibersteinia trehalosi, and Parainfluenza virus type 3 (PI-3). Aids in prevention of pneumonia.
• Sterile Diluent Clear, colourless, odourless sterile buffered saline liquid containing no bacteriostatic or antimicrobial agents. Used as a diluent or solvent suitable for injectable veterinary drug administration.
• Autogenous Vaccines Custom-prepared emergency vaccines consisting of herd-specific (homologous) antigens formulated as inactivated/killed final products. Design Biologix specialises in manufacturing autogenous vaccines for any animal species including cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, aquaculture, and wildlife species such as rhinoceros, sable, lion, cheetah, and wild dog.

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual vaccine production capacity of 45 million doses, up from 0.7 million doses at founding
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Biogenesis BagócoreTechnology or Integration · 13 February 2026Argentine vaccine manufacturer with whom Design Biologix had commercial arrangements as a local agent. The government allegedly disrupted commercial arrangements between private importers and Biogenesis Bagó, removing Design Biologix as local agent. The court case seeks to confirm no legal barrier exists to private procurement and administration of vaccines including those from manufacturers like Biogenesis Bagó.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Zoetis: World's largest animal health company with a comprehensive livestock vaccine and pharmaceutical portfolio including brucellosis and clostridials (Bovi-Shield, CattleMaster). Comparable as the global incumbent whose scale, R&D, and distribution reach set competitive context for regional vaccine specialists like Design Biologix.
• Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health: Major global animal health player with a leading livestock vaccine franchise (Bovilis, Enterisol). Sets the competitive benchmark for cattle and swine vaccine quality, registration, and distribution. Comparable due to overlapping product categories in clostridials, brucellosis, and respiratory disease vaccines.
• MSD Animal Health (Merck Animal Health): Global animal health division of Merck with a comprehensive livestock vaccine portfolio (Bovilis, Vista). Direct overlap in clostridials, respiratory, and reproductive vaccines; sets quality and regulatory benchmark that determines importation standards into South Africa.
• Elanco Animal Health: Major global animal health company with a substantial livestock vaccine and pharmaceutical portfolio following acquisition of Bayer Animal Health. Competes with Design Biologix in cattle respiratory, clostridial, and reproductive vaccines across global markets including emerging regions.

Direct peers

• Virbac: France-based global animal health company specializing in veterinary vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and supplements for both companion and livestock animals. Highly comparable as a specialty vaccine manufacturer serving emerging markets with disease-specific biologicals, including bovine and small-ruminant vaccines paralleling Design Biologix's portfolio.
• Biogenesis Bagó: Argentine veterinary vaccine manufacturer and Design Biologix's former commercial partner for South African distribution. Comparable as a Southern Hemisphere livestock vaccine specialist with foot-and-mouth, brucellosis, and bluetongue expertise; relationship signals cross-border partnership and product portfolio overlap.
• Phibro Animal Health: US-based specialty animal health company focused on livestock vaccines, nutritional specialties, and mineral supplements. Highly comparable business mix combining livestock vaccines with trace-mineral and nutritional products paralleling Design Biologix's cattle vaccine and Micromin supplement portfolio.
• Ceva Santé Animale: Global veterinary pharmaceutical and vaccine company headquartered in France with strong emerging-market presence and a focus on poultry and livestock biologics. Comparable due to disease-specific livestock vaccine portfolio, growing African footprint, and specialty positioning versus larger incumbents.
• Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP): South African state-owned veterinary vaccine manufacturer headquartered in Pretoria. Direct competitor producing livestock vaccines for brucellosis, clostridial diseases, and other regionally endemic livestock conditions under SAPHRA oversight. Most directly comparable peer given shared geography, product categories, and customer base.

Regional players

• Afrivet: South African animal health products and services company serving livestock producers across Southern Africa. Comparable as a domestic veterinary supplier operating in the same channels (commercial farmers and veterinarians), though broader portfolio focus including pharmaceuticals and farm supplies rather than vaccine manufacturing specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DesignBiologix
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/designbiologix

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Design Biologix