Regional Platform to Advance the Manufacturing of COVID-19 Vaccines and other Health Technologies in the Americas

COVID-19 FUND—DONATE NOW!

Access to essential medicines and other health technologies requires, among other elements, ensuring their safety, quality, and effectiveness, as well as making them affordable and available in a timely manner and in forms that meet the needs, while including comprehensive health services that promote their rational use. The PAHO 59th Directing Council (September 2021) approved the policy document "Increasing production capacity for essential medicines and health technologies" and the corresponding resolution CD59.R3 These documents provide a common and sustainable framework with prioritized strategic lines of action to orient and guide the countries of the Region in their work.

COVID-19 has shed light on the high dependence of Latin America and the Caribbean on imports of health technologies from outside the Region and the vulnerability of global supply. PAHO its Member States and regional partners have renewed the efforts to improve local production capacities in the region and, at the request of Member States, PAHO launched a collaborative Platform that convene public and private stakeholders to facilitate the expansion of vaccine and other health technology research, development, and manufacturing in the Region.

Objective and goal

Generate a space for discussion and exchange of experiences to identify of opportunities for regional cooperation to increase the production capacities of medicines and other essential health technologies, including vaccines, to contribute to equitable access to these products.

The platform will foster research and incentivize the development and manufacturing of essential and strategic health technologies in the Americas, expanding manufacturing capacities to ensure access to safe, effective, and quality products, facilitating information exchange and foster cooperation between partners and countries.

The goal is to take advantage of existing production capacities that could contribute to manufacturing mRNA vaccines in the Americas. The principle is that manufacturing should benefit the entire region, with regional pharmaceutical production and distribution of the vaccines by PAHO’s Revolving Fund to all countries.

Highlights

The Government of Canada has announced a $15 million Canadian dollar contribution (equivalent to US$ 11.2 million) towards a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) initiative to increase vaccine production capacities in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“Canada is pleased to support PAHO’s innovative work to strengthen vaccine production capacities in Latin America and the Caribbean and to deepen our partnership on this critical issue for the region,” Ambassador Hugh Adsett, Permanent Representative of Canada to the Organization of American States.

Photo courtesy of ©Rodger Bosch/Medicines Patent Pool

A group of vaccine manufacturers from Argentina and Brazil have become the first to receive technology transfer training in mRNA vaccines at Afrigen, South Africa, as part of a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) platform to advance the availability of key medical health technologies in the region. During the training, which took place from 7 to 9 March 2022 at the Afrigen’s laboratory in Cape Town, scientists from Sinergium Biotech in Argentina, and the Bio-Manguinhos Institute of Technology in Brazil learned about Afrigen’s manufacturing processes, including the formulation of lipid nanoparticles, data analytics, and the production and control of vaccines using mRNA technology.

Authorities and experts debate strategies to boost vaccine production capacities in Latin America and the Caribbean

On February 24 and 25, 2022, the Second Regional Technical Workshop for Vaccine Manufacturing in Latin America and the Caribbean was held as a result of the cooperation and joint efforts made by the Government of Mexico, CEPI, PAHO, and ECLAC.
More than 70 international authorities, experts, and stakeholders from all over Latin America and the Caribbean met at the Second Regional Technical Workshop for Vaccine Manufacturing in Latin America and the Caribbean as a follow-up to the First Workshop held at the end of October 2021.

Technology Transfer for the Production of mRNA Vaccines in the Americas. 21 September 2021. Side event. 59th Directing Council.Video recording

Announcement of the selection of two centers in Argentina and Brazil as regional hubs for the development and production of mRNA-based vaccines in Latin America in a bid to tackle COVID-19 and future infectious-disease challenges. The selection is the result of an April 2021 WHO call for expression of interest inviting manufacturers and research institutions to contribute to the establishment of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine technology transfer hubs in emerging economies. The initiative was supported by PAHO/WHO global partners such as the Medicines Patent Pool.