On August 4th, CEO-DCVMN International, Rajinder Suri took part virtually in the 10th Anniversary Meeting of the South-East Asia Regulatory Network (SEARN), held in Kathmandu, Nepal. The meeting brought together National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs), pharmacopoeias, and international organisations from across the region to mark a decade of collaboration and to strengthen regulatory systems in the S-E region.
Rajinder’s contribution was shaped by an extensive body of work within the DCVMN Regulatory Working Group, whose members are drawn from our vaccine manufacturers across the developing world. His intervention brought their collective experience, challenges, and expectations forward as one voice, in a presentation titled “Strengthening NRAs and Local Industry: Fostering a Sustainable Capacity-Building Ecosystem in South-East Asia.”
The messages shared reflected the reality that DCVMN manufacturers today supply more than 70% of UNICEF, PAHO, and Gavi vaccine demand, thus acting as a critical backbone of global immunisation. Sustaining this contribution depends on regulatory processes that are predictable, transparent, and efficient. Rajinder highlighted the continued importance of WHO Prequalification as the gold standard for regulatory assurance, and the newly introduced eCTD submission platform and ePQS digital portal in improving timelines, transparency, and lifecycle management. He called for the vaccine WHO Collaborative Registration Procedure (CRP) to be strengthened and scaled, by building on the success of the pharma CRP model as a concrete pathway to reduce duplicative review and accelerate access.
Looking ahead, DCVMN shared proposals under consideration for collaboration with SEARO and SEARN including an “AI-Enabled GMP-Reliance Inspection Platform (A-GRIP)” to strengthen trusted regulatory reliance across the region while preserving confidentiality as we’ll as “WHO-DCVMN South-East Asia Pharmacovigilance and AEFI Strengthening System (S-PASS)”, an initiative to strengthen vaccine safety systems through digital innovation, regulatory collaboration, and industry partnership.
Participation in forums like SEARN is central to DCVMN’s advocacy role, as we bring the collective voice of developing-country vaccine manufacturers directly into the regulatory conversations that shape access. Our thanks to SEARN, and all participating NRAs for a decade of leadership in regional regulatory collaboration and for the invitation to be part of it.
