The World Health Organization (WHO), on Monday announced a new project aimed at accelerating the development of H5N1 mRNA vaccine candidates for manufacturers in low- and middle-income countries.
According to WHO’s statement, Sinergium Biotech of Argentina will spearhead this initiative, utilizing the WHO and Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) mRNA Technology Transfer Programme. This program, started in July 2021, is designed to build production capacity in these regions.
Sinergium Biotech is set to lead the development of candidate H5N1 vaccines and establish proof-of-concept in preclinical trials. Following this, technology and expertise will be shared with other partners to expedite the development of these vaccines.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, emphasized the initiative’s role in enhancing pandemic preparedness and equitable vaccine distribution. Stating “When we created the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme with WHO, our goal was to enable low- and middle-income countries to lead development efforts, foster collaboration, share resources, and disseminate knowledge,” said Charles Gore, Executive Director of MPP. “This project embodies our vision and demonstrates a strong commitment to future pandemic preparedness and response.”
Executive Director of MPP, Charles Gore, highlighted the project’s alignment with the Programme’s goals of fostering local development and collaboration.
The Director of the Pan American Health Organization,Dr Jarbas Barbosa underscored the significance of diversifying health technology production and knowledge sharing. Sinergium CEO Dr. Alejandro Gil expressed readiness to tackle the challenge, with support from PAHO to regional manufacturers.
Dr Alejandro Gil, Chief Executive Officer of Sinergium, said, “Sinergium’s enhanced capacity and readiness to apply our expertise to H5N1 will play a vital role in this effort towards global pandemic preparedness. I would also like to thank PAHO who have also been instrumental through the strong support it offers to regional manufacturers in the Americas. We are excited to tackle this public health challenge and our R&D team will continue to work closely with the Programme.
