(Jamaica Gleaner) The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has selected two of 30 applicants, to date, for participation in the entity’s regional manufacturing platform.
This initiative aims to forge alliances to accelerate vaccine and other critical health technology research, development and manufacturing in the Americas.
PAHO Director, Dr Carissa Etienne, said that the entities – public producer Bio-Manguinhos Institute of Technology on Immunobiologicals at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil, and private sector company Sinergium Biotech in Argentina – will receive technical support to accelerate the development and production of mRNA vaccines, which is the technology utilised by Pfizer and Moderna.
Etienne, speaking during PAHO’s weekly COVID-19 digital media briefing on Wednesday, said that aside from meeting PAHO’s criteria for participating in the regional initiative, both entities were chosen based on their long track record in vaccine manufacturing.
She indicated that the support to be provided will enable them to build on this legacy to protect people from the threat of COVID-19 and future health risks.
