PAHO Selects Argentina And Brazil To Develop COVID-19 Vaccines

Release – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has announced the selection of two centres in Argentina and Brazil as regional hubs for the development and production of mRNA-based vaccines in Latin America in a bid to tackle COVID-19 and future infectious disease challenges.

The Bio-Manguinhos Institute of Technology on Immunobiologicals at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) was selected as the centre in Brazil. The institute has a long tradition in vaccine manufacturing and has made promising advances in the development of an innovative mRNA vaccine against COVID-19.

Sinergium Biotech, a private sector biopharmaceutical company, was selected as the centre in Argentina. Sinergium will partner with pharmaceutical mAbxience, which belongs to the same group, to develop and manufacture active vaccine ingredients. The two companies have extensive experience in the production and development of vaccines and biotechnological medicines.

The announcement was made by Dr Soumya Swaminathan, World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Scientist, and PAHO Assistant Director Dr Jarbas Barbosa during a side event on the margins of PAHO’s 59th Directing Council. The “Technology Transfer for the Production of mRNA Vaccines in the Americas” event brought together health ministers and authorities from countries in the region to discuss vaccine production.

“We congratulate the two selected centres,” Dr Jarbas Barbosa said. “There is hard work ahead, but we are driven by the conviction that this endeavour will result in timely and equitable access to vaccines in our region, which continues to be the hardest hit by this pandemic.”

The selection is the result of the April 2021 WHO call for expression of interest inviting manufacturers and research institutions to contribute to the establishment of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine technology transfer hubs in emerging economies. The initiative was supported by PAHO/WHO global partners such as the Medicines Patent Pool.