We are happy to share DCVMN’s strong presence including Board Chair Adriansjah Azhari, Vice-Chair Tiago Rocca, Board member Dr. Mauricio Zuma, CEO Rajinder Suri, and the treasurer Fernando Lobos in addition to several others from member companies during the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit 2024 (GPPS 2024) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on July 29-30.
This significant event, co-hosted by the Ministry of Health, Brazil, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), and CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) brought together global leaders from governments, international agencies, academia, industry, and civil society to discuss how to better prepare the world for future pandemics.
The Summit opened with statements from the Honorable Minister of Health of Brazil, Minister Nísia Trindade Lima, President of Fiocruz Prof. Mario Moreira and CEPI Board Chair Prof. Jane Dalton, setting the stage for vital discussions on pandemic preparedness.
During his session titled “Enabling equitable access through local and regional production,” our CEO extended a very warm thanks to Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO-CEPI for the invitation and shared five key messages:
𝟭. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Highlighting the momentum for local and regional production since COVID-19 and addressing stark vaccine inequities faced by low-income countries. Several initiatives, including the Pandemic Accord (in the making), while Pandemic Fund, iMCM and RVMC among several others having been launched as corrective measures to support the momentum.
𝟮. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: Strengthening manufacturing involves establishing local R&D centers for local diseases, promoting South-South collaborations and tech-transfers, developing the workforce through technical institutes and specialized curricula, and fostering regional political cooperation for sustainable progress.
𝟯. 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: Optimizing regional production capacity, better coordination and integration of initiatives are needed, with financial institutions recognizing the value of an umbrella structure for resource allocation and monitoring, and DCVMN advocating for Industry’s involvement in decision making to leverage deeper insights.
𝟰. 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀: Advocating for successful tech-transfer hinging on trust, transparency, and cultural alignment between partners, supported by robust agreements to protect intellectual property and ensure fair play, as demonstrated by effective bilateral transfers during COVID-19.
𝟱. 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀: Emphasizing sustainable, end-to-end solutions for the entire value chain rather than short-term fixes to achieve equitable access to local and regional production capabilities.
