Gavi Launches Replenishment and Commits to Accelerating African Vaccine Manufacturing
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance 20/06/2024 •
Sania Nishtar, Gavi’s CEO, during the Global Forum for Vaccine Sovereignty and Innovation in Paris

Gavi has already raised $ 2.4 billion of the $9 billion it needs to finance its operations between 2026 and 2030, the global vaccine alliance announced at Global Forum for Vaccine Sovereignty and Innovation in Paris on Thursday.

The Forum, co-hosted by France and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), also marks the launch of the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) to promote regional vaccine production.

AVMA already has financing pledges of “at least $1.2 billion”, already exceeding the initial benchmark of $1 billion, said Gavi CEO Sania Nishtar.

 

When talking about AVMA, “we are not just talking about money. We are talking about people, who […] start to dream, to see Africa manufacturing our own vaccines,” highlighted Africa CDC Director General Dr Jean Kaseya.

Reaching zero-dose children and expanding vaccine portfolio

In the coming strategic period, Gavi plans to add new vaccines to its portfolio, prioritise “zero-dose” children who have not received any vaccines and speed up its operations to double the recent achievement of a billion vaccinated children from 2000 to 2020 in half the time.

The bulk of its pledges – $1.58 billion – have been promised by the US. However, Gavi has about 18 months to finalise its current financing period and fine-tune the details of its plan for the years ahead. 

In the 20 years of its existence, Gavi has saved 17 million lives, said Nishtar, all while maintaining a $54 return on every dollar invested. 

Panelists during Gavi’s replenishment launch: Sania Nishtar, Gavi’s CEO, Christophe Guihou, representing the French government, Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC

The organisation asserts that it is on track with its 2025 targets despite the pandemic disruptions.  

Its aims for the next period are more ambitious, such as extending the availability of  new Ebola, meningitis, rabies and hepatitis B vaccines, put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic, regulation, or supply issues.

Decentralising vaccine production

With AVMA, Gavi is turning to regional vaccine manufacturing instead of working with the biggest producers to get low prices per dose.

This will initially cost more, but the imperative for regional production to safeguard all parts of the world became evident during COVID-19, as vaccine-producing countries prioritised jabs for their own populations, leaving Africa behind.

Many European countries, for instance, accumulated more vaccines than they would use – on average, 0.7 dose wasted per resident – at the time when some regions in Africa did not have enough jabs for health workers, Health Policy Watch reported.

Per capita COVID-19 vaccine doses wasted by European countries: 0.7 on average

In response, the African Union announced a target of producing and supplying more than 60% of the continent’s vaccine requirements by 2040.

Africa is home to 20% of the world’s population and yet, it constitutes only 0.1% of the global vaccine production. Though vaccine hoarding was not addressed openly during the launch, the pandemic has shown that local vaccine manufacturing is key for obtaining the doses in time.

AVMA is meant as a catalyser for more investments in vaccines and drugs in the region. “I saw in so many people announcing now additional support around AVMA,” highlighted Kaseya. “For me, is a success story.”

AVMA is an innovative investment tool that will offer incentive payments to offset some of the initial high costs of production, with specific caps and categories designed to ensure priority vaccines receive adequate funding and that no vaccine type or manufacturer is overrepresented. 

The minimum goal is to support at least four African vaccine manufacturers and produce over 800 million vaccine doses over 10 years.

“The launch of the AVMA represents a groundbreaking financing instrument, to help both catalyze vaccine production within Africa and bolster global health resilience and equitable access to vaccines,” said Greg Perry, Assistant Director General of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA).

“The pharmaceutical industry is committed to playing our part in the collective efforts to […] equitable access to innovative vaccines.”

Image Credits: Politico.

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