Out of nature’s adversity comes human ingenuity
FIRSTLY, it was the fast-track development of a beauty parade of vaccines in record time to combat the destructive effects of the novel coronavirus that has ravaged the world since early 2020.
That ingenuity, alas, is confined to research and mark-to-market development. The dark side of the human psyche has led to billions of people from developing countries held hostage to unprecedented vaccine nationalism in the advanced wealthy economies, resulting in vaccine poverty and gross inequality in matters of access.
Roll out to the poorest countries, especially in Africa and Asia, despite the efforts of the Global Covax Facility and belated pledges by some governments, remains woefully inadequate, as if pandemic procurement profiteering, in both developed and developing countries and supply chain disruption, are not enough to undermine our response to “a once-in-a-century” health event.
Out of a total global population of 7.7 billion, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), only 1.2bn people were fully vaccinated by July 30, 2021. The target is to vaccinate 3.1bn people globally (40% of total) by the end 2021, and 4.6bn people (60% of total) by mid-2022. The WHO confirms that by August 20, over 4.56bn vaccine doses were administered, which is far short of the 6.2bn doses required by the end of the year.
According to the multi-agency Task Force on Covid-19 Vaccines, the required global vaccine doses for end-2021 is 6.2bn (40% of total population) and for mid-2022 is 9.3bn (60% of total population). The Secured Vaccines/Expected Vaccine Supply is 15.3bn doses. Thus far, 4.6bn doses have been delivered, of which 4.4bn doses have been administered.
Secondly, despite the ongoing global socio-economic gloom and doom, the ingenuity of our scientists reached a new peak a few days ago when the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved Ronapreve as the first-of-its-kind artificial monoclonal antibody combination drug for use in the prevention and treatment of acute Covid-19 infection.
Developed by US/Swiss-based Regeneron/Roche, the drug is administered either by injection or infusion and acts at the lining of the respiratory system where it binds tightly to the coronavirus and prevents it from gaining access to the cells of the respiratory system. Clinical trial data assessed by MHRA scientists and clinicians has shown that Ronapreve may be used to prevent infection, promote resolution of symptoms of acute Covid-19 infection and can reduce the likelihood of being admitted to hospital.
This latest breakthrough coincides with the letter of intent signed on July 31, 2021, by the Medicines Patent Pool and WHO with a South African consortium led by Afrigen Biologics, the Biologicals and Vaccines Institute of Southern Africa, SA Medical Research Council and Africa CDC to “establish the South African mRNA technology transfer hub that will allow for greater and more diversified vaccines manufacturing capability, strengthen African regional health security and respond more equitably to the current Covid19 pandemic and future pandemics.
“Inequitable manufacturing and distribution of vaccines is behind the wave of death, which is now sweeping across many low- and middle-income countries that have been starved of vaccine supply”, said Dr Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist of the WHO.
“Building vaccine manufacturing capacity in South Africa is the first step in a broader effort to boost local production to address health emergencies and strengthen regional health security.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomed this “landmark initiative as a major advance in the international effort to build vaccine development and manufacturing capacity that will put Africa on a path to self-determination”. The proposed new South African mRNA technology transfer hub, while it may not bring comfort to those already suffering from Covid-19, gives hope for the future to millions in South Africa and continental Africa, not only in relation to Covid-19 but future pandemics.