Geneva, 24th April 2020 – The COVID-19 pandemic requires a strong united front to turn the tide of this global public health burden. Recognizing the April 20
th United Nations General Assembly resolution [[https://www.un.org/pga/74/wp-content/uploads/sites/99/2020/04/Letter-to-Member-States-for-20-April-on-COVID19-Silence-Procedure-resolution-re-L.56-Final.pdf]], calling for rapid development, scale-up, manufacturing and supply of vaccines to confront the pandemic, the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN) stands ready to fully collaborate with the Access to COVID Tools (ACT) Accelerator initiative, launched on 24th April 2020.
DCVMN is an alliance of over 40 public and private vaccine manufacturing companies from fourteen emerging countries/territories engaged in supply of vaccines for local and international use. Collectively, DCVMN members supply over three billion vaccine doses to 170 countries annually, and are ready to increase these efforts as needed. The Network is able to stimulate early cooperation between vaccine developers, production and supply towards rollout of vaccination, enabling equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
To date, at least thirteen companies affiliated to the Network are involved in development of COVID-19 vaccine candidates across various platforms [[https://www.who.int/blueprint/priority-diseases/key-action/novel-coronavirus-landscape-ncov.pdf]]. Once safe and efficacious vaccines have been developed, enormous manufacturing capacity will be required rapidly to meet the demand to protect the global population.
All corporate members of DCVMN have a role to play – big or small – in contributing to the scale up and supply of effective COVID-19 vaccines. DCVMN members, with vaccine manufacturing, filling, packaging and distribution capabilities, are supporting this call, to ensure vaccines reach populations in every corner of the world without undue delay.
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