The Government of Canada and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) have announced a collaborative effort to bolster vaccine manufacturing capacities in Latin America and the Caribbean. Global Affairs Canada (GAC) will provide C$ 15 million (US$ 11.1 million) in funding to PAHO to enhance the existing regional vaccine production capacities, including the manufacturing of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against COVID-19 and other diseases.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the initiative aims to mitigate the severe impact of unequal access to vaccines and other health technologies. PAHO Director, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, praised the collaboration, stating: “We thank Canada for supporting PAHO in this effort to expand and develop regional production capacities for medical products – an objective that is at the heart of our strategy to end the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and a key step towards achieving universal access to health.”
The Latin American and Caribbean region imports six times more pharmaceuticals than it exports, leaving it vulnerable to fluctuations in global supply, particularly during emergencies. Severe shortages of COVID-19 vaccines during the first years of the pandemic highlighted the urgent need to increase regional production capacities.
Canada’s contribution will promote greater coordination across countries and public and private partners, strengthen national regulatory systems and policies, and foster an enabling environment for regional vaccine production. The initiative will support PAHO’s Regional Platform for Advancing the Production of Vaccines and Other Health Technologies for COVID-19 in the Americas, including ongoing work with the mRNA Vaccine Technology Transfer Programme.
Over the next two years, PAHO will work with Sinergium Biotech of Argentina and the Institute of Technology in Immunobiologicals Bio-Manguinhos of Brazil to implement clinical trials for vaccine development, facilitate technology transfer, and acquire necessary equipment for vaccine production. PAHO will also produce a guide for the establishment of vaccine manufacturing pilot facilities, develop a tool to assess country readiness for vaccine development, and conduct several studies on topics such as COVID-19 mRNA vaccine patents in the region, and health technology production value chain.
Canada’s support to increasing access to COVID-19 vaccines for populations in situations of vulnerability in the Americas adds to the wider support provided by the country since 2021. PAHO has assisted 37 countries and territories in increasing access to COVID-19 vaccines and expanding cold chain storage and transportation capacities, and mainstreaming gender equality in all its work, including empowering marginalized groups to communicate effectively about vaccines. (PAHO)