Vaccines Europe - 19 May 2021
19 May 2021 07h00 CET– Innovative vaccine manufacturers and biotech companies are at
the forefront of the global effort to develop and manufacture COVID-19 vaccines. This
massive effort is succeeding. After more than 200 clinical trials and nearly 300 partnerships
and collaborations among manufacturers worldwide, production has increased, in just a few
months from zero to 2.2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of May with an
astounding estimate of 11 billion doses by the end of 2021 (Airfinity data here). This will be
enough doses to vaccinate the world’s adult population.
Critically, however, COVID-19 vaccines currently are not equally reaching all priority
populations worldwide.
Manufacturers, governments, and non-governmental organizations must work
together to take urgent steps to further address this inequity. Immediate action must
focus on stepping up responsible dose sharing and maximizing production without
compromising quality or safety.
To do so, innovative vaccine manufacturers and biotech companies commit to:
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-middleincome countries in a responsible and timely way through COVAX or other efficient
established mechanisms;
• Expend every effort to make additional uncommitted COVID-19 vaccine doses available to
low- and lower-middle income countries, through COVAX or other efficient established
mechanisms.
CONTINUE TO OPTIMIZE PRODUCTION:
• Undertake all practicable efforts to maximize COVID-19 vaccine output without
compromising safety and quality, including through additional collaborations with partners
that can produce significant quantities;
• Work with governments and individual suppliers of raw materials and components to
determine how to quickly and safely facilitate scale up needed for COVID-19 vaccine
manufacturing.
CALL OUT TRADE BARRIERS TO BE ELIMINATED:
• Identify trade barriers for critical input materials and support Coalition for Epidemic
Preparedness Innovations’ (CEPI’s) effort to create an independent platform that would
identify and address gaps in these inputs and facilitate voluntary matchmaking for fill and
finish capacity through the newly established COVAX Supply Chain and Manufacturing
Task Force;
• Urge governments, in coordination with the World Trade Organization (WTO), to eliminate
all trade and regulatory barriers to export and to adopt policies that facilitate and expedite
the cross-border supply of key raw materials, essential manufacturing materials, vaccines
along with the prioritized movement of skilled workforce needed for COVID-19 vaccine
manufacturing.
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 and able to deploy available
doses within their shelf life;
• Mitigate the risks to the production and deployment of other vaccines that remain vital to
public health worldwide.
DRIVE FURTHER INNOVATION:
• Prioritize the development of new COVID-19 vaccines, including vaccines effective
against variants of concern;
• Urge governments to guarantee unhindered access to pathogens (e.g. samples and
sequences) of any COVID-19 variants to support the development of new vaccine and
treatments.
Download the news release here.
Members area
