Workshop on regional vaccine manufacturing: Mapping of mappings in the Latin America and Caribbean region

In response to the need to strengthen vaccine innovation and production in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Regionalized Vaccine Manufacturing Collaborative (RVMC) organized the workshop “Regional Vaccine Manufacturing: Mapping of Mappings in the Latin America and Caribbean region” on 10 October, 2024, in Washington, D.C. The objective of the workshop was to review and compare the findings from the various mappings and landscape research efforts, distill the knowledge as well as data gaps identified and explore opportunities for action. Experts from different organizations were invited to present mappings that have been commissioned in the past years and analyze strategic information on the region’s capabilities and needs, as well as identify opportunities for collaboration to strengthen vaccine innovation and production. The mappings presented in the workshop showed that Latin America and the Caribbean has existing and growing manufacturing capacity but remains reliant on external supply of vaccines, especially for drug substances, as well as on innovation capacities. In order to strengthen local production, it is necessary to identify needs and generate information on demand. There was consensus among specialists the importance of continuing to work on the consolidation and dissemination of information for evidence-driven decision making. Participans agreed on the importance of generating information to identify the main gaps and opportunities for strengthening regional innovation and production, aimed at ensuring sustainability and the resilience of value chains.