COVID-19 vaccines dose-sharing and surged production can protect the world’s population, says IPHA

COVID-19 vaccines dose-sharing and surged production can protect the world’s population, says IPHA

Industry urges partnership in the effort to equitably vaccinate all priority populations globally

The Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA), which represents the originator biopharmaceutical industry, has urged the Government to support global collaborative efforts to step up responsible COVID-19 vaccine dose-sharing and maximise production without compromising quality or safety.

IPHA, in partnership with EFPIA, the industry’s European representative body, and other organisations said vaccines-makers, governments and non-governmental organisations must work together to ensure that COVID-19 vaccine doses equitably reach all priority populations globally.

The originator biopharmaceutical industry has brought forward COVID-19 vaccine breakthroughs in record time. After more than 200 clinical trials and nearly 300 partnerships and collaborations among vaccines-makers globally, production has risen in just a few months from zero to 2.2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of May.

By the end of this year, analysts are predicting 11 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses will have been produced – enough doses to vaccinate the world’s adult population.

But COVID-19 vaccines are not equally reaching all priority populations worldwide. The industry, in Europe and globally, outlined steps it believes can change that.

1. Step Up Dose Sharing

• Immediately work with governments that have significant domestic supplies of COVID-19 vaccine doses to share a meaningful proportion of their doses with low and lower middle-income countries in a responsible and timely way through COVAX or other efficient established mechanisms; and,
• Expend every effort to make extra uncommitted COVID-19 vaccine doses available to low and lower middle-income countries through COVAX or other efficient established mechanisms.

2. Continue to Optimise Production

• Undertake all practicable efforts to maximise COVID-19 vaccine output without compromising safety and quality, including through additional collaborations with partners that can produce significant quantities; and,
• Work with governments and individual suppliers of raw materials and components to determine how to quickly and safely facilitate the scale-up needed for COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing.

3. Call Out Trade Barriers To Be Eliminated

• Identify trade barriers for critical input materials and support the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations’ effort to create an independent platform that would tackle gaps in inputs and facilitate voluntary matchmaking for fill and finish capacity through the COVAX Supply Chain and Manufacturing Task Force; and,
• Urge governments, in coordination with the World Trade Organisation, to eliminate all trade and regulatory barriers to export and to adopt policies that expedite the cross-border supply of key raw materials, essential manufacturing materials, vaccines and skills needed for vaccines production.

4. Support Country Readiness

• Partner with governments on COVID-19 vaccine deployment, particularly in low and lower-middle income countries to ensure that they are ready to deploy available doses within their shelf-lives; and,
• Mitigate the risks to the production and deployment of other vaccines that remain vital to public health worldwide.

5. Drive Further Innovation

• Prioritise the development of new COVID-19 vaccines, including vaccines effective against variants of concern; and,
• Urge governments to guarantee unhindered access to pathogens – for example, samples and sequences – of any COVID-19 variants to support the development of new vaccines and treatments.

Oliver O’Connor, Chief Executive of IPHA, said: “Our industry wants to see the COVID-19 vaccines it discovered at record speed produced in enough quantities that can equitably meet global demand in the shortest possible timeframe. The focus is on responsible COVID-19 vaccine dose-sharing and maximising production without compromising quality or safety. We are continuing to innovate for the discovery of new vaccines and treatments for variants of concern. We would ask our government to support the five steps we have outlined which we believe form the pathway to steeling the world against further waves of infection.”

IPHA has urged the protection of intellectual property rights which have been the basis for the discovery of new COVID-19 vaccines and treatments at unprecedented pace. “That research-based response, with Europe at its heart, has given us the tools to fight the virus,” said Mr O’Connor.

ENDS