manufacturing

Q&A with Julia Spencer, MSD: Global Diffusion of Molnupiravir

Innovation Council sat down with Julia Spencer, Associate Vice President for Global Multilateral Engagement & Strategic Alliances at MSD, to discuss the development, manufacture, and broad global diffusion of the company’s COVID-19 therapeutic, molnupiravir. The interview touches on a range of topics, including the risks taken by innovators to scale manufacturing as rapidly as possible, voluntary licensing and the establishment of global production networks to ensure adequate global supply, the critical importance of demand forecasting, and factors such as lack of testing that impacted the uptake of molnupiravir in some countries.

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Evolution of the Vaccine Industry in the Asia-Pacific Region

Merck Life Science has released a paper on trends in vaccine manufacturing in the Asia Pacific Region. The paper includes research from interviews with nearly forty industry executives, plus interviews from research institutes in ten different countries. The COVID pandemic highlighted the potential of mRNA vaccines, with 87% of respondents looking to focus on mRNA vaccines as a critical modality in the future. Furthermore, survey respondents cited process development and technology transfer expertise as key needs when adopting new technology. Merck Life Science considers that it will be some time before mRNA becomes the dominant modality, given the need for production processes and the regulatory landscape to evolve in the meantime. The company expects that most vaccine producers will want to have capabilities relating to multiple vaccine modalities, as they invest to expand facilities and incorporate bioprocessing 4.0.

Click here to read the full paper.

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“Navigating the Pandemic: How Different Partnership Models Supported the Response Against COVID -19” – hosted by IFPMA  

To raise awareness about the different forms of voluntary collaborations, particularly those related to technology transfer, IFPMA hosted a working lunch in Geneva in June.  

Several partners shared insights and experiences about their COVID-related manufacturing partnerships. The discussion touched on the types of bottlenecks that slowed the pandemic response – and how these can be tackled in the coming months. 

Particularly fascinating is the part of the session starting at minute 46 where the panel discussion with industry experts begins.

Click here to watch the video of the event

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Moderated Discussion with Geneva Delegates: Insights from Biomanufacturing Experts

Innovation Council recently hosted an insightful webinar with leaders in biologics manufacturing and R&D from emerging markets.

The speakers, Syed Ahmed from TechInvention, Charlie Nemugumoni from AVMI and Rajinder Suri from DCVMN drew on lessons from COVID-19 and practical experience to discuss how to reinforce global biomanufacturing R&D networks for overall healthcare delivery as well as pandemic preparedness.

Thank you to the speakers for an informative and exciting discussion!

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Innovation Council Member Q&A: The African Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative (AVMI)

Innovation Council sat down with Patrick Tippoo, a founding member of the African Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative (AVMI), to learn more about their work with African and global partners to advocate for the establishment of sustainable vaccine development and manufacturing capacity in Africa.
 
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Building Greater Resilience in Vaccine Manufacturing – McKinsey & Company

Preparing for the next pandemic is a priority for many national public-health leaders and requires them to lay the groundwork to mount an effective vaccine response.

Decision makers could set the stage for vaccine resilience by defining what their countries and regions need; assessing the local capacity to scale production of vaccine doses; identifying gaps and weaknesses in their national and regional vaccine value chains.

Read the full article here.

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WTO Updates Joint Indicative List of Critical COVID-19 Vaccine Inputs

The WTO Secretariat has updated the joint indicative list compiling information on critical inputs for the manufacturing, distributing and administering of COVID-19 vaccines. The revised version incorporates feedback from industry and includes information on new critical inputs that have been identified.

The “Joint Indicative List of Critical COVID-19 Vaccine Inputs for Consultation” can be found here.

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