The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome have each pledged $150 million. a total $300 million, to CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, that has played a key role in developing vaccines for Covid-19, as well.

Launched five years ago this week, CEPI is a global partnership involving the governments of Norway and India, the Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and the World Economic Forum (WEF). And the pledges come ahead of a global replenishment conference in March to support CEPI’s five-year plan to better prepare for, prevent, and equitably respond to future epidemics and pandemics, a note form the Gates Foundation said. CEPI’s replenishment conference is scheduled for March 8, 2022, in London.

“As the world responds to the challenge of a rapidly evolving virus, the need to deliver new, lifesaving tools has never been more urgent,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation. “Our work over the past 20 years has taught us that early investment in research and development can save lives and prevent worst-case scenarios. Five years ago, following the Ebola and Zika epidemics, our foundation helped launch CEPI. Today, we’re increasing our commitment and pledging an additional $150 million to help CEPI accelerate the development of safe and effective vaccines against emerging variants of the coronavirus and to prepare for, and possibly even prevent, the next pandemic,” he added.

Covid-19 vaccines

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, CEPI responded by building one of the world’s largest and most diverse portfolios of vaccine candidates—14 in all, including six of which continue to receive funding, and three of which have been granted emergency use listing by the World Health Organization (WHO), the note said.

CEPI made early investments in the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which now saving lives around the world, it said. Last month, Novavax’s protein-based COVID-19 vaccine—funded largely by CEPI—received WHO emergency use listing and is poised to help efforts to control the pandemic globally. Interestingly, both these vaccines are being made and supplied in and from India by the Serum Institute.

More than one billion doses of the Novavax vaccine are now available to COVAX, the global initiative co-led by CEPI, to deliver Covid-19 vaccines, equitably. CEPI is also working on next-generation vaccines, including “variant-proof” shots that could protect against all coronaviruses, potentially removing the threat of future pandemics, it added.

Pointing out that the effects of Covid-19 have been sobering, Dr Jeremy Farrar, director of Wellcome said, “Our new commitment of $150 million recognizes the enormous potential CEPI has to protect lives against emerging infectious diseases.” Calling on global leaders to help CEPI meet its $3.5 billion funding target, Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation said, “The world must do better at protecting everyone, everywhere against the greatest health threats—from Covid-19 and beyond.”

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