Vaccines for a healthy future: 21st DCVMN Annual General Meeting 2020 report

Abstract

The Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers' Network held its 21st Annual General Meeting virtually in November 2020 given the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine manufacturing experts, leaders from local and global public health organizations and multilateral organizations, through diverse presentations, questions and answers, focused on the pandemic and the response of vaccine manufacturers where many are engaged in research and development and production agreements. The pandemic is expanding rapidly which makes the global availability and equitable access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines critical. Strategies put in place include the establishment of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) within which the COVAX facility aims to distribute 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of 2021, with procurement mechanisms already being established. At the same time, regulatory authorities have emergency use authorizations aimed at the rapid approval of safe and effective vaccines, with a push for harmonization in regulatory approaches being advocated. The Meeting was also apprised of other innovations being developed for vaccines including multi-array patches for easier vaccine application, increased heat stability for mitigating cold chain and storage challenges, the barcoding of primary packaging for enhancing vaccine traceability, and gathering data for decision-making. Over time, these innovations will facilitate the widespread availability and equitable access of vaccines including those addressing epidemics and pandemics. In addition, a number of manufacturers described technologies they have for accelerating vaccine manufacturing and supply globally. Overall, there was agreement that manufacturers from developing countries play a critical role in the global research, development and supply of vaccines for a healthy future, with increasing collaboration and partnering between them a growing strength.

Barriers to COVID-19 Health Products in Low-and Middle-Income Countries During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Rapid Systematic Review and Evidence Synthesis

“…The outbuying of LMICs in access to vaccines, therapeutics has been commonly termed "vaccine/treatment nationalism" and the vaccine/treatment nationalism efforts by HICs to seek preferential access to COVID-19 health products jeopardized their access in LMICs (47,69,72,73,85,99,112,117). Vaccine nationalism in particular was instigated by wealthy countries via APAs with manufacturers of vaccines (while they were still in clinical trials), leaving very poor countries like Mozambique scrambling for whatever is left (46,61,71,83,98,108,111).…”

“…At least $5.7B USD will also be needed to roll out efficient vaccination programs in LMICs, and this doesn't include costs of injection materials and other consumables in a backdrop of economic downturns (72,73). Donor countries will need to "put their money where their mouth" by fulfilling their pledges to sustainably fund this initiative (112).…”

“…The existing international frameworks are insufficient or unable to completely address this barrier while nationalist and protectionist actions by some rich countries are threatening international solidarity and hampering multilateral efforts to bridge the existing access gaps. For instance, GAVI's COVAX facility currently uses WHO's allocation framework to distribute vaccines to 92 ODA-eligible and 97 self-financing countries supported by donor-funded AMC, but this framework was unsuccessful in equitably distributing 2B doses by end of 2021 (59,97,112). One author also noted that the first phase of COVAX's proportional allocation of COVID-19 vaccines, though better than vaccine nationalism-still prevented priority access to vaccines for some hard hit LMICs like Mexico, Brazil, Iran and Ecuador compared to other less affected countries (in terms of health and economic impact from COVID-19) like Kenya, Senegal and Thailand.…”

High Effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines in Reducing COVID-19-Related Deaths in over 75-Year-Olds, Ceará State, Brazil

“…In this context, the ability of a vaccine to protect against serious illness and death should be considered the most important outcome, since hospital admissions, especially in intensive care units, represent the greatest burden on health systems and has led several countries to face a collapse in their health systems. The global crisis generated by the coronavirus pandemic highlighted, once again, the importance of vaccination programs as effective public health measures, and brought about new mechanisms that may become models for future responses to regional epidemics and pandemics, with a greater variety of platforms and joint work to overcome challenges and accelerate vaccine development, manufacturing and delivery [ 12 ]. It is worth noting that the duration of protection after recovery from COVID-19 corresponds somewhat to the duration of protection provided by the vaccine [ 13 ].…”

The Development Status and Future Trends of China’s Vaccine Industry

“…Pagliusi and Jarrett summarised the main points of the 21st Annual General Meeting of the Vaccine Manufacturers Network in Developing Countries in November 2020. Overall, Pagliusi and Jarrett agreed that developing-country vaccine producers play a crucial role in global vaccine research, development, and supply for a healthy future, with more collaboration and partnering between them becoming a growing strength [5]. To demonstrate the development of China's vaccine industry and immunisation program, Zheng et al described the history, classification, supply, and prices of vaccines available and used in China compared to high-and middle-income countries.…”