Announcements

Announcements

Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group [to 28 Mar 2020]
https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/frontiers-group/news-press/
Press Release
No new digest content identified.

BMGF – Gates Foundation [to 28 Mar 2020]
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases
MARCH 25, 2020
Life Sciences Companies Commit Expertise and Assets to the Fight Against COVID-19 Pandemic Alongside Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Collaboration to address product development and scale-up challenges posed by the current pandemic

MARCH 24, 2020
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Shares Details for Greater Seattle Area Coronavirus Response Grants
Grants include support for vulnerable communities and public information campaign

Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute [to 28 Mar 2020]
https://www.gatesmri.org/
The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute is a non-profit biotech organization. Our mission is to develop products to fight malaria, tuberculosis, and diarrheal diseases—three major causes of mortality, poverty, and inequality in developing countries. The world has unprecedented scientific tools at its disposal; now is the time to use them to save the lives of the world’s poorest people
No new digest content identified.

CARB-X [to 28 Mar 2020]
https://carb-x.org/
CARB-X is a non-profit public-private partnership dedicated to accelerating antibacterial research to tackle the global rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria.
No new digest content identified.

CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations [to 28 Mar 2020]
http://cepi.net/
Latest News
UK boosts support for CEPI to spur COVID-19 vaccine development

News
Japan Secures $476 million Contribution to the Global Fund
27 March 2020

Funding Model
First Funding Requests Submitted in the 2020-2022 Funding Cycle
26 March 2020

Voices
When Finance Fails: Why Economists Didn’t See a Coronavirus Collapse Coming
25 March 2020

Voices
Fighting Tuberculosis: Lessons for COVID-19
23 March 2020

Updates
Global Fund Supports Countries in Response to COVID-19
23 March 2020

Hilleman Laboratories [to 28 Mar 2020]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
No new digest content identified.

Human Vaccines Project [to 28 Mar 2020]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/media/press-releases/
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

IAVI [to 28 Mar 2020]
https://www.iavi.org/newsroom
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities [ICMRA]
http://www.icmra.info/drupal/en/news
Selected Statements, Press Releases, Research
Global regulatory workshop on COVID-19 vaccine development (March 2020)
Global regulators have published a report today presenting the outcomes of a workshop on COVID-19 vaccine development that was convened under the umbrella of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA).
The meeting report provides an overview of regulatory considerations related to COVID-19 vaccine development and data required for regulatory decision-making on two key points:
:: Pre-clinical data required to support proceeding to first-in-human clinical trials with investigational medicinal products; and
:: The need to address the known theoretical risk that vaccines against COVID-19 enhance the disease prior to starting first-in-human clinical trials.
All participants in the meeting acknowledged the urgency of conducting first-in-human clinical trials with COVID-19 vaccine candidates. The conclusions set out how regulatory authorities around the globe intend to strike the balance between rapid development of vaccines and the need to generate enough robust data to enable decision-making.
The meeting also aimed to encourage exchange of information about the global efforts towards developing new vaccines against COVID-19 through an open dialogue between medicines regulatory authorities around the globe.
About the workshop
The regulatory workshop was held virtually in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It brought together delegates from 17 different countries, representing more than 20 medicines regulatory authorities globally, as well as experts from the World Health Organization and the European Commission, to share their views on the development of vaccines against COVID-19. The meeting was co-chaired by EMA and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association [IGBA]
https://www.igbamedicines.org/
News
COVID-19 / Urgent call to governments – Air freight must reopen for critical medicines and supplies for their manufacture (March 2020)
The International Generic and Biosimilar medicines Association (IGBA), which represents global manufacturers of generic and biosimilar medicines, today requested urgent action by governments and pharmaceutical supply chain stakeholders to reopen air freight routes and ensure patients around the globe can continue to have access to the medicines they need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19: Critical to keep the supply chain of essential medicines manufacturing operating at full capacity (March 2020)
IGBA, the International Generic and Biosimilar medicines Association (IGBA), representing global manufacturers of generic and biosimilar medicines, today calls upon the global policy leaders and governments to do everything in their power to keep the manufacturing operations and the supply chain of essential medicines operating at full capacity. This will allow our companies to continue to produce much needed critical medicines. While we support the need to protect healthcare workers and to provide hospitals with essential materials, putting unreasonable restrictions on exports of essential medical supplies or medicines will do more harm than good at this time of urgent need.

IFFIm
http://www.iffim.org/
Press Releases
Jessica Pulay joins IFFIm Board of Directors
19 Mar 2020
Finance executive brings deep experience of public and private sector funding London, 19 March 2020 – Jessica Pulay has been appointed to the Board of Directors of IFFIm, the International Finance Facility for Immunisation, and will serve a three-year term effective 1 April 2020.

IFRC [to 28 Mar 2020]
http://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/news/press-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
Global
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement appeals for 800 million Swiss francs to assist world’s most vulnerable people in fight against COVID-19
Geneva, 26 March 2020 –-The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement on Thursday launched a revised emergency appeal for 800 million Swiss francs (823 million US dollars) to help the world’s most vulnerable communities halt the spread of COVID …

IVAC [to 28 Mar 2020]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
Updates
No new digest content identified.

IVI [to 28 Mar 2020]
http://www.ivi.int/
Selected IVI News & Announcements
No new digest content identified.

JEE Alliance [to 28 Mar 2020]
https://www.jeealliance.org/
Selected News and Events
No new digest content identified.

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 28 Mar 2020]
http://www.msf.org/
Latest [Selected Announcements]
Coronavirus disease COVID-19
MSF calls for no patents or profiteering on COVID-19 drugs and vaccines
Press Release 27 Mar 2020
Geneva/New York — Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called for no patents or profiteering on drugs, tests, or vaccines used for the COVID-19 pandemic, and for governments to prepare to suspend and override patents and take other measures, such as price controls, to ensure availability, reduce prices and save more lives.
Already, Canada, Chile, Ecuador and Germany have taken steps to make it easier to override patents by issuing ‘compulsory licences’ for COVID-19 medicines, vaccines and other medical tools. Similarly, the government of Israel issued a compulsory licence for patents on a medicine they were investigating for use for COVID-19…

Syria
MSF provides relief items and adapts response for COVID-1…
Project Update 27 Mar 2020

Coronavirus disease COVID-19
Preparation is key to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic in Côte d’Iv…
Project Update 27 Mar 2020

Coronavirus disease COVID-19
US must include asylum seekers in COVID-19 response, ra…
Press Release 27 Mar 2020

Coronavirus disease COVID-19
MSF steps up COVID-19 response with activities in Spain
Project Update 25 Mar 2020

Coronavirus disease COVID-19
MSF “deeply surprised” that Iranian authorities put a stop to our COVID-19 Response
Statement 25 Mar 2020

DRC Ebola outbreaks
How the Ebola response failed the people of DRC
Opinion 24 Mar 2020

Tuberculosis
Between war and fragile health systems, tackling TB in Sudan and Sou…
Voices from the Field 24 Mar 2020

Coronavirus disease COVID-19
COVID-19: Avoiding a ‘second tragedy’ for those with TB
Project Update 23 Mar 2020

Coronavirus disease COVID-19
MSF sends hospital and medical team to treat COVID-19 patients in …
Project Update 22 Mar 2020

National Vaccine Program Office – U.S. HHS [to 28 Mar 2020]
https://www.hhs.gov/vaccines/about/index.html
NVAC 2020 Meetings
June 9-10, 2020 NVAC Meeting
September 23-24, 2020 Meeting (Virtual)

NIH [to 28 Mar 2020]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
Selected News Releases
The National Library of Medicine expands access to coronavirus literature through PubMed Central
March 25, 2020 — PubMed Central is a digital archive of peer-reviewed biomedical and life sciences literature, with access to nearly 6 million full-text journal articles.

COVID-19 workers get training to protect their own health
March 23, 2020 — Special NIH program has trained workers through multiple national health emergencies.

PATH [to 28 Mar 2020]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
Selected Announcements
No new digest content identified.

Sabin Vaccine Institute [to 28 Mar 2020]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
Statements and Press Releases
Responding to COVID-19 – A Statement by the Sabin Vaccine Institute
Friday, March 27, 2020

UNAIDS [to 28 Mar 2020]
http://www.unaids.org/en
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
27 March 2020
Strengthening services for violence against women and HIV in Indonesia

26 March 2020
Community members are driving the AIDS response in northern Myanmar

25 March 2020
Innovative and people-empowered approaches to end TB deaths

Thai hospitals to provide three- to six-month supplies of antiretroviral therapy

24 March 2020
Talking about a revolution

The volunteer driver in Wuhan

23 March 2020
Tuberculosis—good progress, but not enough

23 March 2020
Mining, drugs and conflict are stretching the AIDS response in northern Myanmar

UNICEF [to 28 Mar 2020]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Press release
Despite challenges, UNICEF continues to ship vital supplies to affected countries amid soaring number of COVID-19 cases
27/03/2020

Press release
UNICEF scales up support in 145 countries to keep children learning, as COVID-19 forces majority of schools worldwide to close
25/03/2020

Statement
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore on the disruption of immunization and basic health services due to the COVID-19 pandemic
25/03/2020

Press release
Global Partnership for Education announces US $8.8 million in funding to help UNICEF with COVID-19 response
25/03/2020

Press release
A global approach is the only way to fight COVID-19, the UN says as it launches humanitarian response plan
COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan
25/03/2020

Statement
UN launches global humanitarian response plan to COVID-19 pandemic
Remarks by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore (check against delivery)
25/03/2020

Statement
Interruption to key water station in the northeast of Syria puts 460,000 people at risk as efforts ramp up to prevent the spread of Coronavirus disease
Statement from UNICEF Representative in Syria, Fran Equiza
23/03/2020

Press release
COVID-19: More than 95 per cent of children are out of school in Latin America and the Caribbean
23/03/2020

Vaccination Acceptance Research Network (VARN) [to 28 Mar 2020]
https://vaccineacceptance.org/news.html#header1-2r
Announcements
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Confidence Project [to 28 Mar 2020]
http://www.vaccineconfidence.org/
Latest News & Archive
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [to 28 Mar 2020]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
Coronavirus Updates
Frequently Asked Questions about Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Last Updated: March 19, 2020
Get some fast facts about the coronavirus from CHOP and the CDC. The CDC will provide updated information as it becomes available.

Wellcome Trust [to 28 Mar 2020]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
Opinion | 27 March 2020
A new way of developing vaccines for COVID-19 could help the world to prepare for future outbreaks [RNA vaccine development ]
Charlie Weller. Head of Vaccines Programme, Wellcome

The Wistar Institute   [to 28 Mar 2020]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

WFPHA: World Federation of Public Health Associations [to 28 Mar 2020]
https://www.wfpha.org/
Latest News
No new digest content identified.

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)   [to 28 Mar 2020]
https://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2020/
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

ARM [Alliance for Regenerative Medicine] [to 28 Mar 2020]
https://alliancerm.org/press-releases/
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

BIO    [to 28 Mar 2020]
https://www.bio.org/press-releases
Press Releases
BIO Summit Accelerates Collaboration Between Government & Industry Leaders in Fight Against Covid-19
March 25, 2020
The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) this week hosted a productive virtual summit intended to foster collaboration among key government agencies and biopharmaceutical innovators with one goal: eradicating Covid-19. The two-day virtual event helped companies working on treatments, diagnostics and vaccines come together to discuss challenges and opportunities with government officials and other stakeholders.

…Company leaders repeatedly expressed the need for speed of action on the part of government agencies to help accelerate the development of new diagnostics, treatments and vaccines. Also, as the discussions over two days unfolded, a number of key areas of concern emerged:

:: The need for innovative and flexible partnerships between industry, government and academia to quickly move the science through the development and regulatory processes;
:: The importance of determining how to best scale up manufacturing capacity when a new diagnostic, therapy or vaccine is available;
:: The urgency in securing funding for agencies and other partners to get resources where they are needed as soon as they are available; and
:: A desire to work with the FDA to establish guidelines for the development of point-of-care diagnostics.

… “Through the collaboration this virtual summit has helped foster,” said Greenwood, “I’m confident we will eradicate this deadly pandemic and be better prepared for the next one.”

To watch the opening plenary session of the virtual summit, click here.

To learn more about how the industry is responding to Covid-19, click here.

To see Jim Greenwood’s comments following the summit, click here.

DCVMN – Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network [to 28 Mar 2020]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
News
No new digest content identified.

IFPMA [to 28 Mar 2020]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Statements, Publications
IFPMA Backgrounder – COVID-19
27 March 2020
[See COVID-19 for detail]

PhRMA [to 28 Mar 2020]
http://www.phrma.org/
Selected Press Releases, Statements
America’s Biopharmaceutical Companies are Supporting Italy During the Coronavirus Crisis
March 25, 2020
America’s biopharmaceutical companies stand with everyone affected by the coronavirus throughout Italy, and especially the patients and their loved ones, as well as the health care professionals and scientists fighting on the front lines…
Within Italy, biopharmaceutical companies are donating medicine, supplies and other expertise.
Specific company examples include:
:: Bristol-Myers Squibb contributed $1 million to the Red Cross in the Lombardy Region of Italy and donated face masks to local health care facilities.
:: Gilead has initiated two clinical trials in patients who have been infected with COVID-19 to determine the safety and efficacy of remdesivir as a potential treatment for the coronavirus.
:: The Lilly Italia Foundation is donating €1 million of insulin produced by Eli Lilly and Company.
:: Pfizer’s affiliate is donating €2.5 million worth of medicines and vaccines that can be used in the prevention and management of COVID-19 in impacted regions. Pfizer is also dedicating resources to ensure safe and timely home delivery of essential medicines for patients with life threatening and rare diseases, such as hemophilia.
:: Bayer is supporting hospitals in Lombardy, Italy, with a donation of €1 million that is helping procure urgently-needed equipment for intensive care units in hospitals with the greatest needs.
:: Novartis donated €1 million to the National Civil Protection in Campania, Italy.
:: Novo Nordisk offered direct financial support to hospitals most affected by the crisis. The company also set up an internal fundraising whereby the amount collected via the donations of employees will be doubled by the company and donated to the Italian Civil Protection Department. Additionally, Novo Nordisk sponsored an awareness campaign to provide basic information to the Italian elderly population on how they should respond during the coronavirus crisis and how to protect themselves against misinformation and fraud.
:: Sanofi is donating to support the National Civil Protection for the management of this emergency. The company also invited all employees in Italy to donate one hour or more of their work on a voluntary basis. Sanofi also donated €600,000. Additionally, Sanofi is ready to donate 200 thousand hydroxychloroquine-based treatments to the National Healthcare System, for Italian hospitals that will request them to treat patients with complications from COVID-19. In total, the company’s donations equal more than €2 million…

vaccines and global health :: ethics and policy

….from the Center for Vaccine Ethics and Policy…GE2P2 Global Foundation

Announcements

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