BALI, KOMPAS.com – Five G20 countries comprising Indonesia, Argentina, Brazil, India, and South Africa agreed to build a global research center and strengthen a vaccine manufacturing center.
Indonesia’s Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that the collaborative effort will involve other major economies and international organizations.
This initiative will focus on the research development and production capacity in the middle-income countries within the G20. There is a gap within countries in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, which can slow down preparedness and response to fight against the disease.
“To prepare for the next pandemic and global health threats, every country must have access and capacity to develop vaccines, therapies, and diagnostics (VTD) regardless of their economic status and geographical location,” Budi said in a statement on Monday, Aug. 22.
Also read: Indonesia to Launch Homegrown Covid-19 Vaccine Soon
He said many vaccine platforms have been developed under the collaboration, including mRNA, viral vector, adjuvanted subunit protein, and inactivated vaccines.
However, most mRNA vaccines have been produced by pharmaceutical firms in high-income countries. The minister underscored the importance of improving global access and production capacity, and the transfer of technology and knowledge among the G20 countries.
As an example, he mentioned the production of Molnupiravir as an oral antiviral treatment for Covid-19 in lower-middle income countries by the Medicines Patent Pool’s (MPP’s) facility.
“Such a model is important to enable technology transfer to prepare for pandemic [in the future],” he said.
(Writer: Fika Nurul Ulya | Editor: Bagus Santosa)
