Washington, DC. February 2023. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) participated in the conference "Vaccines and immunization: Challenges and perspectives for local manufacturing" as part of the program of the "VI Global Conference of the Science, Technology, and Innovation Community," organized by FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, February 13-15.
The Secretary of Health Surveillance, Ministry of Health, Ethel Maciel opened the conference, and with the participation of experts from the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Minister of Health of Argentina, CEPI, the Welcome Foundation and industry representatives, the European Centre for Health Policy; the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN); and industry representatives.
This session aimed to examine critical factors for the success of local vaccine production in developing countries, addressing challenges and prospects concerning demand and supply, financing, and global perspectives on intellectual property and access.
James Fitzgerald, Director of PAHO's Department of Health Systems and Services, focused on vaccine issues, development, manufacturing, and immunization; and highlighted PAHO's effort to support training and technology transfer by strengthening regional supply chains and improving access to much-needed vaccines, medicines and other medical supplies in the Region of the Americas.
In 2021, PAHO launched the Regional Platform to Advance the Manufacturing of COVID-19 Vaccines and other Health Technologies in the Americas to draw on collaboration among countries and agencies to apply existing regional biomanufacturing capacity to produce COVID-19 vaccines and other medical technologies.
