India urges G-20 countries to join vaccine research collaborative in wake of COVID vaccine inequity

Some countries recieved COVID vaccines only 18 months after they were available elsewhere, exposing the gaps in global vaccine policies; India working with PATH and CEPI on proposed collaborative

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. File | Photo Credit: ANI

With the COVID-19 pandemic exposing the acute inequity in vaccine development and access, the Indian government is working in partnership with two leading global non-profits to convene and build consensus among the G-20 member States and others, for a proposed Global Vaccine Research Collaborative. 

“International cooperation is essential to advance vaccine development for emerging pathogens, and the G-20 can serve as a vital platform to facilitate collaboration between governments, research organisations, pharmaceutical companies, and other stakeholders,” Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Saturday, addressing an event organised by the Pharmaceuticals Department on the sidelines of the third meeting of the G-20 Health Working Group, one of the events under India’s G-20 presidency.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals is working with Seattle-based non-profit Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), whose founders include the Indian and Norwegian governments as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in a bid to build consensus for the proposed Collaborative not just among G-20 nations, but the special invitee countries as well.

Acute vaccine inequity

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted acute vaccine inequity, with some countries receiving the COVID vaccines only 18 months after they were released in other countries, said Pharmaceuticals Secretary S. Aparna. “The idea behind the Global Vaccine Research Collaborative is to address this gap and enable equitable access to vaccines at the global stage,” she said. “It will also help in optimising valuable resources and avoiding duplication,” she added.

This initiative will focus on addressing major gaps in vaccine R&D before the next pandemic, establishing a structure and principles for better preparedness and creating a mechanism to improve coordination and foster an enabling environment for vaccine R&D, according to an official statement.

Shrinking vaccine timelines

The Health Minister pointed out that India has already taken steps to ensure more equitable vaccine access in the domestic market. “The government has provided financial incentives and streamlined regulatory processes to encourage vaccine manufacturers to increase their production capacity. It has also taken steps to ensure the availability of vaccines in rural areas by leveraging the existing infrastructure of primary health centers and other healthcare facilities,” Mr. Mandaviya said.

Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that the COVID-19 pandemic underlined the need for reducing the timeline of vaccine manufacturing from decades to less than a year. “The need is for institutionalising the learnings gained during the pandemic into a system which will straddle countries, span across continents and which will ensure that the learnings of the pandemic are made available to all in an equitable manner,” he added.