"Cooperation Is Key for Next Pandemic Preparedness," Say Global Vaccine Developers in Unison

World Bio Summit 2022

Pfizer "Lessons Learned: Speed, Collaboration, and Equity"
Moderna "Many Unmet Needs Remain... Must Be Fully Prepared"
SK Bioscience "Next Pandemic Vaccine to Be Developed Within 100 Days"
MSD "Vaccine Production Capacity Insufficient, Must Increase Through Collaboration"

On the afternoon of the 25th, at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, during the 'Future Strategies for the Post-Pandemic' session held at the 'World Bio Summit 2022,' Jerome Kim, Director General of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), Janine Small, Global President of Pfizer Advanced Markets, Ahn Jae-yong, CEO of SK Bioscience, Jan van Acker, President of MSD (Merck & Co., USA) Emerging Markets, Isao Teshirogi, CEO of Shionogi, Yoon Woong-seop, CEO of Ildong Pharmaceutical, Mita Giuliani, Executive Vice President of Strategic Business Development at Merck Life Science, Petro Teblanche, CEO of Afrigen, and Morena Markhoana, CEO of Biovac (from left), are conducting a discussion. / Photo by Lee Chun-hee

[Asia Economy Reporters Chunhee Lee and Youngwon Kim] As the COVID-19 pandemic has transitioned into an endemic phase with the distribution of vaccines and treatments, voices have emerged emphasizing that international cooperation is essential to prepare for the next pandemic, which could strike at any time.

At the 'Future Strategies for the Post-Pandemic Era' session held on the afternoon of the 25th at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, participants from vaccine developers stressed the importance of learning lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and preparing for the next pandemic. The most emphasized lesson was 'global collaboration.'

On the afternoon of the 25th, Paul Burton, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Moderna, is delivering a presentation via video during the "Future Strategies for the Post-Pandemic Era" session at the "World Bio Summit 2022" held at Grand Walkerhill Seoul in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.
[Image source: World Bio Summit YouTube capture]

The first speaker, Janine Small, Global President of Advanced Markets at Pfizer, stated that humanity learned lessons of speed, cooperation, and equity through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Small emphasized, "We learned that accelerated procedures that make the impossible possible are necessary," highlighting the importance of purpose-driven approaches and timely decision-making. She added, "Having achieved safe and effective vaccine development, we must now move toward developing potentially safe oral medications."

Small continued, "The pandemic taught us how crucial cooperation is in responding to health threats," and also pointed out, "It revealed the extent of inequality, especially between wealthy and low-income countries, raising the possibility of equitable access to vaccines and treatments." To overcome this, she said, "Pfizer has supplied 3.5 trillion doses of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide and provided over 2 billion doses to low-income countries," and regarding treatments, she promised, "We have signed licensing agreements with partner countries to supply generic versions of Paxlovid for a healthier world."

Finally, Small concluded, "Pandemic preparedness is complex and requires extensive collaboration," emphasizing the need for partnerships in technology, vaccines, and medical fields.

Following her, Paul Burton, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Moderna, also spoke about the importance of innovation in preparing for the next pandemic.

Burton CMO explained, "Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines have greatly contributed to achieving equity not only for infectious diseases but also for other illnesses," but noted, "There are still many unmet needs." He warned, "Respiratory viruses and viral latency continue to cause significant harm worldwide," adding, "This is definitely not the time to be complacent." He mentioned numerous pandemic triggers beyond COVID-19, including influenza, cholera, and monkeypox, advising, "We must share data, establish various tools and platforms, and be fully prepared to rapidly develop vaccines."

Burton CMO stated, "Preparing for pandemics is a complex task," emphasizing "the importance of data sharing and transparent cooperation among multiple countries and stakeholders." He concluded by saying, "We must quickly respond to new pathogens, develop appropriate vaccines, and ensure equitable distribution."

On the afternoon of the 25th, participants of the 'Future Strategies for the Post-Pandemic' session at the 'World Bio Summit 2022' held at Grand Walkerhill Seoul in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, are taking a commemorative photo. / Photo by Lee Chunhee

Jaeyong Ahn, CEO of SK Bioscience, called for securing 'innovative technologies' to prepare for the next pandemic. Ahn expressed his ambition, saying, "Based on three strategies?securing innovative technology platforms, infrastructure, and leading clinical and regulatory processes?we aim to develop vaccines for the next pandemic within 100 days of its outbreak." He referred to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)'s 100-day strategy, explaining, "It is a strategy to pre-select viruses that could cause pandemics and conduct clinical Phase 2 trials in advance to build a library."

He emphasized securing technologies such as mRNA as a method to achieve this. SK Bioscience signed an mRNA vaccine development agreement with CEPI that morning. Ahn evaluated this as "very meaningful," stating, "To respond efficiently to future pandemics, efforts to secure innovative technologies like mRNA development are necessary."

Jan van Eck, Head of Emerging Markets at MSD, argued that cooperation is essential to expand vaccine manufacturing capacity. He said, "MSD plans to triple its manufacturing capacity, but the current in-house capacity is insufficient, so collaboration is necessary."

Van Eck emphasized that partnerships across various fields, including regulatory authorities and research institutions, must be established. He explained, "From disease surveillance to universities worldwide, small biotech companies, and large corporate labs, all should lead innovation and contribute to developing new vaccines and treatments," adding, "To achieve this, we need to collaborate with regulatory agencies for rapid approvals and find ways for cross-approval of authorized drugs among regulatory bodies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.