Bali– The Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia (Menkes RI) Budi Gunadi Sadikin officially opened the... official Health Working Group (HWG) 3rd in Bali, Monday (22/8). HWG is a global joint effort in prevention, preparedness, and response in facing the upcoming pandemic.
This HWG 3 meeting will produce three main outputs, namely, first, establishing a vaccine, therapeutics and diagnostics (VTD) manufacturing center and a collaborative research center to support the development and strengthening of research-driven VTD manufacturing capacity in Low Middle Income Countries (LMICs) to develop, enhance and strengthen research and manufacturing capacities.
Second, sharing mechanisms and harmonization of regulations to facilitate the process of increasing global capacity to ensure accelerated availability of VTD during public health emergencies.
Third, to reach an agreed principle on the establishment of a VTD Multicentre Clinical Trials collaboration to support Manufacturing Hubs and Collaborative Research Hubs among G20 countries for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response efforts.
The strategies discussed at the 3rd HWG were the expansion of the Global Vaccine, Therapeutics and Diagnostics Manufacturing Hub in Low-Middle-Income Countries, and Strengthening the Global Network of Scientists in the Field of Public Health Emergencies.
Regarding the Expansion of Global Vaccine, Therapeutics and Diagnostics Manufacturing Hubs in Lower and Middle Income Countries, in 2021 the health ministers of the G20 countries stated that COVID-19 immunization should be recognized globally.
This implies that all countries have fair and equal access to vaccines. To achieve this, it is important to strengthen research and development capacity, diversify supply chains and increase collaboration between countries and between public and private research centers.
In addition to focusing on vaccines, it is equally important to ensure equitable access and capacity in developing diagnostics and therapeutics to enable better access in the face of future pandemics.
Without diagnostics and therapeutics, it will be difficult to prevent further transmission, treat early, and prevent death.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that global health response is done by breaking the chain of transmission. Stronger pandemic preparedness in every country is essential.
On this occasion, Minister of Health Budi also said that a pandemic can occur anywhere in the world, and thus a quick response is important to be able to prevent, contain, and respond to the disease. Likewise, a disease begins to subside in one place, but appears in another, it can cause the disease to rise again in the original place.
"It is our shared responsibility to use this moment to expand research and production capacity that is fair and equitable in global prevention, preparedness, and response efforts," said the Minister of Health.
“The concept is that all of humanity must be treated, or in principle it becomes a pandemic. one for all, all for one'” Minister of Health emphasized.
Furthermore, the Minister of Health stated that if Indonesia has research capacity and manufacturing capacity, then access can be done by other countries, because it is impossible for one country alone to resolve a pandemic that is global in nature because transmission occurs across countries," said the Minister of Health.
In this 3rd HWG, Indonesia and several G20 members, namely Argentina, Brazil, India, and South Africa, have an initiative to strengthen manufacturing centers and build collaborative research centers.
According to Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, this collaborative effort involves all G20 member countries and international organizations. The initiative focuses on building research and production capacity in middle-income G20 member countries.
Gaps in the capacity of each G20 country to deal with the pandemic could slow down preparedness and response to COVID-19.
banyak Portal vaccine manufacturing technologies have been developed, including mRNA, viral vector, adjuvanted protein subunitand inactivated vaccines, especially with their high efficacy. However, most mRNA vaccines have been developed and manufactured by pharmaceutical companies in high-income countries.
“To prepare for the next pandemic and global health threats, every country must have access and capacity to develop vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics (VTD) regardless of their economic and geographic status,” said Health Minister Budi.
In increasing global access and production capacity, knowledge sharing, capacity building and technology transfer among G20 countries are essential. One successful example is the production of Molnupiravir-an oral COVID-19 antiviral in lower-middle-income countries enabled by The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) Facility.
“Such models are important to enable technology transfer for pandemic preparedness,” said the Minister of Health.
(Author Fachrudin Ali)
