By Ayomide Otitoju
A new initiative to accelerate the development and accessibility of human avian influenza (H5N1) mRNA vaccine candidates for manufacturers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) was launched today in Switzerland. This effort will be spearheaded by Argentinian manufacturer Sinergium Biotech, leveraging the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) mRNA Technology Transfer Programme.
The mRNA Technology Transfer Programme, launched in July 2021 by WHO and MPP, aims to build capacity in LMICs for developing and producing mRNA-based vaccines. Sinergium Biotech, a partner in this programme, has developed candidate H5N1 vaccines and aims to establish proof-of-concept in preclinical models. Once the preclinical data package is completed, the technology, materials, and expertise will be shared with other manufacturing partners, accelerating the development of H5N1 vaccine candidates and enhancing pandemic preparedness.
“This initiative exemplifies why WHO established the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme – to foster greater research, development, and production in low- and middle-income countries, so that when the next pandemic arrives, the world will be better prepared to mount a more effective and more equitable response,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“When we created the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme with WHO, our goal was to enable low- and middle-income countries to lead development efforts, foster collaboration, share resources, and disseminate knowledge,” said Charles Gore, Executive Director of MPP. “This project embodies our vision and demonstrates a strong commitment to future pandemic preparedness and response.”
Avian influenza viruses pose a significant public health risk due to their widespread circulation in animals and potential to cause a future pandemic. This development supplements ongoing work under the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework to improve and strengthen the sharing of influenza viruses with human pandemic potential and increase LMIC access to vaccines.
“This announcement underscores the importance of not only geographically diversifying the innovation and production of health technologies, including recognizing the capacities in Latin America and the Caribbean, but also the importance of early planning for access and the sharing of knowledge and technologies during the research and development processes,” said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
Dr. Alejandro Gil, Chief Executive Officer of Sinergium, added, “Sinergium’s enhanced capacity and readiness to apply our expertise to H5N1 will play a vital role in this effort towards global pandemic preparedness. I would also like to thank PAHO for its strong support to regional manufacturers in the Americas. We are excited to tackle this public health challenge, and our R&D team will continue to work closely with the Programme Partners.”
Since its inception, the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme has developed and implemented a platform to establish the immunogenicity, efficacy, and safety of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate in preclinical animal models. Afrigen is the center where the platform was created and is being validated. This technology is now being transferred to manufacturing partners to adapt and enhance it for other critical disease targets. The progress made by the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme is a vital part of WHO and MPP’s efforts to improve the availability, access, and use of mRNA vaccines for better vaccine equity globally.
