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Pharmaceutical industry

WHO Establishes Global mRNA Vaccine Hub to Address Pandemic Disparities

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the creation of a global training center in South Korea to help poorer countries develop mRNA vaccines, antibodies, and cancer treatments using the technology that has successfully been used to make COVID-19 vaccines. The hub, which will share mRNA technology being developed by WHO and partners in South Africa, aims to address the vast inequities in access to life-saving tools, including COVID-19 vaccines. The effort involves recreating Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine without the company's help, a move that has sparked controversy in the pharmaceutical industry.

Key Takeaways:

  • The WHO's new hub will focus on making mRNA vaccines, antibodies, and cancer treatments accessible to poorer countries, especially in Africa, where only 1% of the world's COVID-19 vaccines are produced and only about 11% of the population is immunized.
  • The hub, located in South Korea, will share mRNA technology being developed by WHO and partners in South Africa, where scientists are working to recreate the COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna Inc.
  • The effort to recreate Moderna's vaccine is an end-run around the pharmaceutical industry, which has largely prioritized supplying rich countries over poor ones in both sales and manufacturing.
  • Both Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, the makers of the two authorized mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, have declined to share their vaccine recipe or technological know-how with WHO and its partners.
  • WHO's chief scientist, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, estimates that the attempt to recreate Moderna's vaccine will probably not yield any usable shots until late next year or even 2024, but the timeline could be shortened if the manufacturer agreed to help.
  • The global disparity in access to COVID-19 vaccines is enormous, with European nations like Portugal having achieved high levels of vaccination, whereas African nations struggle to access vaccines, with some countries receiving COVID-19 vaccines the first time in mid-2022.
  • WHO's efforts will address the huge global demand for mRNA vaccines, which have proven to be highly effective in curbing COVID-19.
  • Zain Rizvi, research director at the advocacy group Public Citizen, welcomed the news, saying that WHO's efforts provide a stark contrast to the failures of Moderna and Pfizer's, who have largely hoarded the technology, and called for the Biden administration to pressure international pharmaceutical companies to share their COVID-19 vaccine recipes and know-how.

Statistics:

  • Africa produces just 1% of the world's COVID-19 vaccines.
  • Only about 11% of the population in Africa is immunized against COVID-19.
  • A European nation like Portugal has had 84% of its population fully vaccinated, and over 59% of its people have also had a booster shot.
  • Six African countries (Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia) will receive the knowledge and technological know-how to make mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
  • Five more countries (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Serbia, and Vietnam) will also receive support from the South Africa hub.
  • The Cape Town company attempting to replicate Moderna Inc.'s COVID-19 shot has successfully made a candidate vaccine that will soon start laboratory testing.
  • WHO's efforts aim to make mRNA vaccines, antibodies, and cancer treatments accessible to poor countries, addressing the huge global demand for these life-saving tools.

Sources:

  • AP news wire article
  • WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus' statements
  • Dr. Soumya Swaminathan's interview
  • Zain Rizvi's statement as research director at Public Citizen

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