Oxitec Marks Commissioning of World's Largest Mosquito Manufacturing Complex to Supply the World's Two Most Powerful Dengue Control Solutions at Global Scale

The state-of-the-art hybrid production facility in Campinas, Brazil is designed to manufacture both Wolbachia and Oxitec’s leading Friendly™ mosquitoes with unprecedented economies of scale, enabling rapid scale-up in Brazil and globally.

2 October 2025, Campinas, Brazil - Oxitec Ltd, a global leader in biological pest control, today celebrated the full commissioning of its groundbreaking mosquito manufacturing complex in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. The facility is the world’s largest, most advanced mosquito factory and the only site capable of supplying both Wolbachia-carrying and Friendly™ Aedes aegypti (known in Brazil as Aedes do Bem™) mosquitoes, two complementary technologies proven to reduce dengue transmission and suppress mosquito populations effectively.

This new facility comes online as a direct response to the World Health Organization’s call to accelerate access to innovative vector control technologies and marks a pivotal moment in the fight against dengue in Brazil and beyond. With dengue cases surging at record levels across Latin America and the Asia-Pacific, this facility – designed to host multiple distinct and segmented production lines – is built to meet growing demand from governments and communities seeking rapid, scalable and cost-effective protection.

The newly commissioned complex will be able to supply up to 190 million Wolbachia-carrying mosquito eggs per week – almost twice the amount of the next largest Wolbachia facility – enough to protect up to 100 million people annually through disease-blocking replacement technology. The facility is also manufacturing Oxitec’s Friendly™ Aedes aegypti products at an even higher weekly capacity, providing customers highly effective, targeted and sustainable mosquito population control. Since 2022, Aedes do Bem™ – proven to suppress Aedes aegypti mosquito populations in urban communities by more than 95% - is being deployed by governments, businesses and households across Brazil, and further expansion is underway.

Wolbachia replacement technology – in which a naturally occurring bacterium reduces the ability of the Aedes aegypti mosquito to transmit dengue, Zika and chikungunya – is proven to reduce dengue transmission by more than 75% in wide-area urban pilots. It has been formally recognised by the World Health Organization and adopted by Brazil’s Ministry of Health as part of its National Dengue Control Program. Pending government approval, the expanded facility is ready to begin supply of Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes to the government, just in time for the start of Brazil’s mosquito season, and without the need for government funding to fund construction or management.

Both mosquito technologies rely on the release of mosquitoes. The Wolbachia method is designed for large, area-wide public health campaigns led by governments, while Friendly™ Aedes aegypti is designed for targeted mosquito suppression interventions, deployable by anyone, in hot-spots and where reduction of biting mosquitoes is a priority.

“Given that the global burden of dengue is growing rapidly, we’ve focused on developing a professional, scaled-up manufacturing platform that will turn these and other highly effective mosquito technologies into deployable solutions that governments and other customers can use to protect billions of people,” said Grey Frandsen, CEO of Oxitec. “We’re proud that this is the new flagship facility for the industry.”

Oxitec Brazil’s Country Director Natalia Verza Ferreira added, “Brazil has endured devastating dengue outbreaks in recent years: the urgency for action has never been greater. With Oxitec’s new Campinas complex, we’re equipped to respond immediately to the Ministry of Health’s Wolbachia expansion plans, ensuring Wolbachia can reach communities across the country, cost-effectively.”

Representing the Brazilian Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, the Deputy Secretary of the Secretariat of Health and Environmental Surveillance, Dr. Fabiano Pimenta, congratulated Oxitec on the initiative and recalled the Wolbachia process initiated by Fiocruz. "I think this synergy is very good. This isn't about competition, but about synergy. In July, Wolbito, which was the largest in the world, was inaugurated. Two months later, it's no longer the largest. This is very good for public health in Brazil."

Regarding Oxitec's awaiting authorization from Anvisa, the secretary noted that new technologies, such as Wolbachia, are in a provisional process until 2027. "We will discuss how to regulate this issue. We are here because the Ministry says it is one of our priorities, as well as those of the municipalities and the independent regulatory body. We are very interested in finding a solution to make [the technology] available," he stated.

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About Oxitec

Oxitec is the world’s leader in sustainable biological solutions to the world’s largest pest threats for human health and food security. The first to market and first to achieve successful commercialization of targeted, self-limiting species-specific pest solutions, Oxitec is now leveraging its global platform to advance diversified solutions to critical public health and food security challenges around the world. Driven by a team comprised of 15 nationalities and with strong partners, collaborators and distributors in multiple countries and markets, Oxitec is leading the global transition to sustainable pest management.

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