Devex CheckUp: CEPI’s 100-day mission to develop a new vaccine

It took 326 days from the release of the COVID-19 genetic sequence for a vaccine to receive emergency use authorization. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations is now aiming to develop vaccines for emerging diseases in 100 days, but the question is how. And what will it take in terms of capacity and will to ensure swift and equitable access?

The 100-day vision — which gained traction during the United Kingdom’s G-7 presidency — was integrated into CEPI 2.0, a five-year strategy that the coalition released in 2021.

• Details of what the 100 days would look like are now coming into focus. Dedicated surveillance systems would detect the emergence of a disease, triggering standard containment measures. At the same time, the disease could be quickly sequenced to identify whether it is something previously unseen and, if so, spark vaccine development.

• That development would be based on a “vaccine library,” a collection of vaccine candidates drawn from around two dozen viral families. Researchers would then be able to identify prototypes that are “cousins” of the emerging disease, allowing them to skip the time-consuming step of identifying which part of the virus elicits an immune response. They could then focus on tailoring the prototype to the specific pathogen.

• After that, “you just break the glass and start the clinical trial as soon as the clinical trial material is released,” Richard Hatchett, CEPI’s executive director, tells Andrew Green. However, a lot of work needs to be done before any development kicks off with the emergence of a new pathogen.

• The coalition is now looking to “inspire others to focus on the 100-day mission as a shared global goal,” Hatchett says. At the same time, vaccine access advocates caution that this vision should not distract CEPI from its aim of ensuring equity.

Read: 'Just break the glass’ — Inside CEPI’s 100 day plan for a new vaccine

Going local

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention works in about 60 countries, and most of its global funding goes to local partners. CDC’s Kevin Cain talks to our colleague Michael Igoe about the agency's local approach — and what it means for the COVID-19 response.

Q&A: How CDC directs 70% of its global funding to local partners (Pro)

+ Devex Pro subscribers can also learn about localization plans of USAID. Not gone Pro yet? Try it for free for 15 days. 

Ebola hits congested DRC city

The Democratic Republic of Congo recently detected new Ebola infections among two people living in the same house, both of whom have died. The outbreak is in Mbandaka, a densely populated port city in the country’s northwest. Reports of Ebola — a deadly virus that can spread rapidly from person to person — prompt heightened concern in urban areas.

The nation’s labs determined that an infection in Mbandaka was the result of a “spillover event” — meaning that a human contracted the virus from an animal. Now, a top priority is identifying this source of infection to prevent further spillover. “But this is a very complicated and challenging investigation,” says Dr. Mory Keita, WHO's incident manager for the Ebola outbreak.

Local authorities have launched a vaccination campaign and started mapping out contacts of the two people in Mbandaka. About 40% of DRC’s Ebola outbreaks have occurred since 2018, with the virus finding refuge in animal reservoirs in many areas of the country.

Read: Health experts concerned about DRC Ebola cases in high-transit area

One big number

That’s the number of people who are still not vaccinated against COVID-19, according to Our World in Data.

Testing trouble

Testing for COVID-19 has fallen by 70% to 90% across the world — posing another challenge in the response to the pandemic.

“Because testing has been the first casualty of a global decision to let down our guard, we're becoming blind to what is happening with this virus,” cautions Dr. Bill Rodriguez, chief executive officer at FIND, a co-convener of the so-called diagnostics pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator. He also warns that shutting down programs will eventually cost more lives.

While new therapeutics like Pfizer’s antiviral drug Paxlovid are now known to treat COVID-19, there is a “need for prompt and accurate testing,” according to WHO.

Read: COVID-19 testing sees massive decline, leaving countries vulnerable

Principled stand

That's what Dr. Alakija has to say about the inequitable rollout of health tools in her op-ed for The Indian Express. Alakija, who has been an advocate for equitable access to vaccines, was in New Delhi this week to speak at Raisina Dialogues, where she reiterated the need for sharing health tools fairly.

What we’re reading

WHO and UNICEF say there’s been a 79% surge of measles cases this year. [Al Jazeera]

WHO advises vigilance as unexplained severe hepatitis cases increase. [Devex]

China reports its first human case of bird flu with the H3N8 strain. [Reuters]