With more than 100 projects to develop a COVID-19 vaccine underway around the globe – eight of which have entered the clinical stage – hope is growing for a miracle breakthrough.
But so is concern over who would and would not have access to the shot, if and when one is approved.
“Once a vaccine for COVID-19 is available, the massive demand is likely to outstrip supply quickly. If the pharmaceutical industry cannot keep up with demand, populations in poor countries will be the ones left behind,” said James Zhan, UNCTAD’s director of investment and enterprise.
Lack of access to essential medicines is a tragic reality for many families in developing nations. For example, nearly half a million children in sub-Saharan Africa die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases, according to the WHO.
On 19 May, the World Health Assembly adopted a historic resolution co-sponsored by more than 130 countries calling for equitable access to vaccines and treatments against the virus.
While the resolution and funds will help, they provide a temporary solution. And with discussions focused on the issue of patents and profits, a fundamental issue is being overlooked: the lack of productive capacity in developing countries.
Vaccine production is currently concentrated in a few developed countries, in the hands of a few major players. According to the WHO, nearly one third (32%) of vaccines have fewer than four suppliers, while nearly two thirds (63%) have two or fewer prequalified products.
“COVID-19 has shown just how vulnerable medical product supply chains are when relying on a small number of manufacturers for raw materials and final products,” said Emer Cooke, director of the WHO’s regulation and prequalification department.
According to UNCTAD and the WHO, many developing countries need help to build their capacity to produce essential medical products, whether they are vaccines, antibiotics or personal protective equipment.
Of the 40 vaccine manufacturers in 14 nations that are part of The Developing Countries Vaccine Manufactures Network, only one is African: the Biovac Institute based in Cape Town, South Africa, which currently delivers over 25 million doses of vaccines each year for illness such as measles, polio and tuberculosis.
Otherwise, the continent’s 1.2 billion people remain vulnerable to shocks in global supply chains and foreign governments’ trade policies. Since the pandemic began, nearly 80 countries have imposed some form of restriction on the export of medical supplies.
UNCTAD and the WHO have recently teamed up on a three-year project to help build the needed partnerships and guide governments on the policies needed in the East African Community (EAC) and Ethiopia.
EAC-based producers currently use less than 50% of their capacity, due to COVID-19-related restrictions and shortages in essential active pharmaceutical ingredients imported from abroad.
The project will help align local production of antibiotics in the EAC to the regional public health needs, to increase currently undersupplied antibiotics while reducing excess supplies of those causing antibiotic resistance in patients.
UNCTAD will lend its expertise in the areas of investment, trade facilitation, intellectual property, business development and industrialization, while the WHO will help governments and businesses understand the regulatory laws and standards.
Original source: UNCTAD
Published on 27 May 2020
