Serum Institute to Join CEPI Network to Bolster Global Vaccine Preparedness

The Global South-focused manufacturing network targets vaccine makers in high-risk areas for outbreaks, addressing threats such as lassa fever, nipah, disease X, and other CEPI-prioritised pathogens.

In a significant development to enhance global vaccine preparedness, the Serum Institute of India (SII) is set to become a part of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) network.

CEPI, a global partnership focused on accelerating the development of vaccines and biological countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic threats, aims to create a more rapid, agile, and equitable response to future disease outbreaks.

Talking about the collaboration, Adar Poonawalla, CEO, SII, said, "As a leading vaccine manufacturer, we're committed to utilising our well-established manufacturing and rapid response capabilities to strengthen epidemic preparedness and increase access to life-saving vaccines for those who need them most at an affordable price. This collaboration will enable us to respond more rapidly and equitably to public health disease outbreaks."

CEPI's 100 Days Mission

CEPI has outlined an aspirational goal that envisions having vaccines ready for initial authorisation and manufacturing at scale within 100 days of recognising a pandemic pathogen.

This goal is part of CEPI's 100 Days Mission, which seeks to combine the timely delivery of vaccines with improved surveillance, early detection, and swift interventions like testing, contact tracing, and social distancing to suppress disease transmission.

The objective is to enhance the world's ability to contain and control future pathogenic threats and mitigate the catastrophic global public health and socio-economic impacts experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The addition of SII to the CEPI manufacturing network is expected to significantly boost vaccine production efforts in regions classified as the Global South. This term broadly encompasses Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia (excluding Israel, Japan, and South Korea), and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand).

Focus on High-Risk Regions and Pathogens

The manufacturing network, with a focus on the Global South, aims to include vaccine makers in areas at high risk of outbreaks caused by deadly viral threats such as lassa fever, nipah, disease X, and other pathogens prioritised by CEPI for their epidemic or pandemic potential.

This strategic approach aligns with CEPI's mission to ensure preparedness and response capabilities in regions vulnerable to infectious disease outbreaks.

To facilitate this initiative, CEPI is investing up to $30 million to leverage SII's proven track record of rapid response to infectious disease outbreaks. The investment will expand SII's existing capabilities to swiftly supply investigational vaccines in the face of epidemic and pandemic threats.

Moreover, the collaboration between CEPI and SII is designed to enable CEPI-backed vaccine developers to quickly transfer their technology to partners within days or weeks of an outbreak. This rapid response capability is crucial for initiating swift production and equitable distribution of affordable vaccines to affected populations.

Emphasing SII's critical role in the global manufacturing network, Richard Hatchett, CEO, CEPI, said, "SII's world-renowned manufacturing and rapid response capabilities are poised to play a critical role in enabling swift and equitable access to affordable outbreak vaccines for the Global South."

The collaboration's focus on the Global South and high-risk regions, coupled with the 100 Days Mission, underscores the commitment to creating a robust and agile response mechanism against future infectious disease outbreaks. This initiative aims to address current challenges and contribute to building a more resilient global healthcare infrastructure.

In another development, CEPI and Pune-based Gennova Biopharmaceuticals signed a funding agreement to enhance the creation of vaccine candidates for disease X, sometimes known as an unidentified pathogenic threat, using their self-amplifying mRNA (saRNA) technology. Additionally, CEPI offered $3.6 million in order to promote the improvement of the saRNA-platform technology.