In an effort to be pandemic-ready, an international group of vaccine makers have committed to investing in research on specific pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential to develop a pipeline of promising candidate vaccines, treatments and technologies.

The statement from vaccine makers, representing developed and developing countries, also committed to help reduce manufacturing complexities. Efforts would be made to develop new manufacturing methods “to adapt and quickly expand manufacturing capacity for new vaccines to address future public health emergencies,” said the joint statement from five associations including the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA), BioIndustry Association, and Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN).

The development comes against the backdrop of the two-day Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) ending Tuesday that brought together various stakeholders to mobilise resources towards meeting the $3.5 billion pandemic plan to ensure an equitable response for future pandemics.

On Tuesday, the World Health Organization’s technical advisory group on Covid-19 vaccines also called for broad access to current Covid-19 vaccines for primary series and booster doses, particularly for groups at risk of developing severe disease. The technical group called on vaccine manufacturers “to generate and provide data to WHO on the performance of current and variant-specific candidate Covid-19 vaccines, including the breadth, magnitude, and durability of humoral and cell-mediated immune responses to variants through monovalent and/or multivalent vaccines.”

Pathogen surveillance

Vaccine makers, on their part, called for greater clarity around pathogen-surveillance and sharing of pathogens and their genetic information.

“Swift, certain and unencumbered access to pathogens and their genetic information – known as digital sequence information (DSI) or genetic sequence data (GSD) – is the bedrock of global health security. Any delays in accessing pathogen samples and their genetic information will delay public health preparedness and response activities or biomedical research to address emerging infectious diseases, will risk lives and waste money,” the manufacturers said.

Richard Torbett, Chief Executive, Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, said that many companies were working to make possible the 100-day mission (to have a vaccine ready).

“Our industry is determined to ensure we can hit the ground running in the face of future pandemics; to develop vital vaccines and therapeutics quickly and safely, and get them to the people who will need them, wherever they are”.

DCVMN Chief Executive Rajinder Suri pointed out that, in the last two years, there had been global collaboration, advances in science and technology, regulatory flexibilities and manufacturing at risk — which made it possible to develop and roll-out Covid-19 vaccines in record time.

With UK hosting the Summit, Steve Bates, Chief Executive, BioIndustry Association, explained the UK’s experience of partnerships between government, science, academia and industry embodied in the Vaccines Taskforce “enabled lightning speed progress in developing vaccines and therapeutics for this pandemic.”

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Published on March 8, 2022