New Delhi : The World Health Organization (WHO), national regulatory authorities and vaccine manufacturers in the WHO South-East Asia Region discussed accelerating the launch of the Covid-19 vaccine in member countries.
“The regulatory and vaccine manufacturing sectors play a critical role in playing an uneven and efficient deployment of vaccines,” said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director of the WHO South-East Asia Region.
With the aim of strengthening collaboration between national programs, vaccine producers and regulators in the region for the deployment of the Covid-19 vaccine, the meeting provided a platform for interaction and exchange of experiences for registration, deployment and vaccine regulation.
According to Singh, all countries in the Region are developing and finalizing national implementation and vaccination plans for Covid-19, of which regulatory preparation is a fundamental component.
“Establishing accelerated regulatory pathways for vaccine approval and adjusting regulatory pathways to the type of vaccine being developed and submitted for approval remains critical, as emergency use authorization will precede full licensing,” he said. Singh.
“While it may be necessary to modify vaccine licensing systems, it would be vital to have standard operating procedures and stipulated timelines for authorization of emergency use,” he added.
The Regional Director emphasized effective coordination, collaboration and information sharing.
From R&D to production, and from information on country readiness to post-market surveillance, manufacturers, regulators, policy makers and planners must continue to work together to optimize and refine the deployment of vaccinations
Key global and regional partners such as GAVI and UNICEF participated in the meeting.
Among the vaccine manufacturers, from India Bharat Biotech International Ltd, Biological E Ltd, Cadila Healthcare Ltd, Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and Wockhardt Limited; Indonesia Bio Farma Limited, and the Government of Thailand Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO), Bionet Asia Co. Ltd and Siam Bioscience participated in the meeting.
The expert group also recommended that all countries should ensure the availability of high-quality, comprehensive and timely Covid-19 surveillance data on all risk groups, including migrants and remote or displaced populations, for making decisions related to vaccination.
They highlighted the need for all countries to assess available cold chain space and carefully plan cold chain requirements, including necessary improvements in storage, stock management, vaccine delivery strategy and management. of waste.
(IANS)
