Fiocruz participates in the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit

During a conference in London, attended by the world’s most prominent health authorities and specialists, Fiocruz president, Nísia Trindade Lima, emphasized the need to decentralize vaccine production and to strengthen investments in research and development, in order to reduce inequalities between countries. Her statement was made during the Global Summit for Preparation for Pandemics, last Tuesday (March 8th). Organized by the Coalition for Epidemics Preparedness Innovations (Cepi) and by the United Kingdom, the event was looking for support for the #100DaysMission campaign, so that in upcoming pandemics the world can develop a vaccine within one hundred days.

According to Nisia, the COVID-19 pandemic showed that much needed to be changed, and that low- and middle-income countries should play an important role in this process

The summit brought together world leaders, philanthropic organizations, private companies, and international institutions over two days at the British capital, with the goal of mobilizing resources for the coalition’s 3.5 billion-dollar plan. A member of the Cepi council, Nisia participated in the panel Boosting vaccine production, together with specialists such as Jae-yong Ahn, president of SK Bioscience, from South Korea; Mahima Datla, director of Indian company Biological E Limited; and Thomas Cueni, CEO of International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations.

According to Nisia, the COVID-19 pandemic showed that there was much to be changed, and that low- and medium-income countries should play a significant role in this process. “It is very important not to depend on [imported] consumables, vaccines and diagnostic tests,” she emphasized.

Nisia mentioned that Fiocruz “mobilized all its energies” to fight COVID-19, peaking with the contract of technology transfer that allowed Bio-Manguinhos to produce the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, now using 100% Brazilian-made Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API). More than 160 million doses have already been delivered to the Ministry of Health. Nisia also highlighted that Fiocruz was selected by the World Health Organization (WHO) to participate in the development hub for the messenger RNA vaccine.

“I believe that initiatives such as technology transfer and the hubs for knowledge sharing are very important when it comes to international cooperation, both South-South and North-South,” she said. “I speak as the president of a governmental institution, who sees health also as a factor of social and economic development.”

As for the sustainability of vaccine production beyond the pandemic, she said this is related to the role played by technology in health systems. “We were successful with technology transfer because we had previously received governmental investments in bio-pharmaceuticals. This experience in technological infrastructure, as well as human resources were crucial. We must adopt a historical perspective and a connection between technology and the health system. This is what health needs. This is what people need as well.”

Gray areas

The conference was opened by British PM Boris Johnson, who highlighted the fact that the world needs to be prepared to act quickly when a new pandemic comes, and the role Cepi is to play in this process. Cepi is a global partnership between the public and private sectors, philanthropic institutions, and civil society organizations, and it defends equitable access to vaccines and medicines.

In the summit, speakers defended more collaboration and equity in access to medicines and vaccines, reminding the audience that funds spent on health should not be seen as a cost, but as strategic investment. They also warned that lack of tests leaves large areas of Africa and Latin America in a gray area where new COVID-19 may emerge and not be detected quickly enough; that the mission is not only to obtain vaccines, but to make sure they get to people; and that the response must be international, because epidemics know no boundaries.

“The pandemic has taught us the incredible power of surveillance, of diagnosis, of vaccines, and of treatments. But it has also exposed gaps and weaknesses in the global ecosystem,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, General Director of the WHO, reminding the audience that a good part of the African population has yet to receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. He asked for a commitment with science, equity and collaboration. “Financing Cepi is a commitment for a better future,” he declared.

The executive director of the coalition, Richard Hatchett, stated that “It’s easy to say it will never happen again,” but it is even harder to stumble upon a new crisis. “We have gained experience; we will not have a better chance than this. We need to attack the causes, and not the consequences, of unequal access to health,” he said.

The last block was reserved to members of government, internationals institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund, and philanthropic organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Brazilian Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga, emphasized the partnership between Fiocruz and the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, as well as other initiatives involving the Foundation.

“Brazil continues to adopt measures to strengthen the health industrial and economic complex. Worthy of notice is the Santa Cruz plant, on which we will be investing more than US$ 650 million”, said Queiroga, also mentioning the mRNA vaccine hub and the presence of Nisia in the Cepi board.

Partnerships in British lands

During the London trip, Nisia also attended other meetings to strengthen ties and partnerships with British organizations, such as the London School and the Wellcome Trust. The London School meeting took place within the Fiocruz Internationalization Project (Capes Print-Fiocruz). Nisia met with the director of the School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Liam Smeeth, to define the next steps to be taken to create a work plan. Researchers from both institutions took part in the meeting. Although the research lines have not yet been defined, other subjects were addressed, such as climate change, preparation for pandemics, vaccines, education and exchange, and decolonization of research methods and global health. In September, Fiocruz scientists will be visiting the British institution to develop this work plan. A symposium is scheduled to be held at Fiocruz in October to present the results and perspectives for the upcoming years.

In London, Nísia also met with ambassador Fred Arruda. The ambassador headed the Brazilian delegation to the CEPI meeting and closely follows Fiocruz's partnerships with British institutions

At the Wellcome Trust, a philanthropic institution for research support, Nisia was welcomed by director Jeremy Farrar. Events and partnerships with the organization were proposed, as well as strategies to strengthen relations between the institutions, which have been increasingly closer since the Zika pandemic. The Wellcome Trust went through restructuring last year and is now focusing on a few specific areas, such as infectious diseases, mental health, and climate change, all themes that converge with the work done by Fiocruz.

Farrar highlighted that Wellcome is creating a virtual network that brings together researchers from groups from industries and governments to exchange information - a sort of network of the academic community and industry, public and health spheres, which would also include the issue of technology transfer. The idea is to have universities, industry and governments as partners. Fiocruz was invited to be part of this network, which is still under development.

At the Wellcome Trust, Nisia also met with teams of specific areas, such as Climate Change, Infectious Diseases, and Governmental Relations. The Fiocruz president mentioned converging points that can be developed and intends to go further in the conversations to establish partnerships and to strengthen relations in these areas.