Unitaid welcomes the appointment of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to lead WTO

Geneva – Unitaid warmly welcomes the appointment of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the new Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

“I congratulate Dr. Okonjo-Iweala for taking the leadership of the WTO at such a critical moment in the global fight against COVID-19,” said Unitaid’s Executive Director Dr Philippe Duneton. “With this choice, WTO Members have made history. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala’s experience and strong commitment to tackling the pandemic as the WHO Special Envoy for the ACT-Accelerator make her an invaluable asset to navigate the WTO through the COVID-19 crisis and shape its response to the economic and health challenges posed by the pandemic. I look forward to our collaboration in finding and developing innovative solutions to make sure that critical life-saving tools, vaccines, treatments and diagnostics, are made available quickly and equitably for all, to defeat the pandemic”.

Unitaid will continue to proactively engage with the private sector, governments, donors and civil society, to invest in the Medecines Patent Pool (MPP) and other mechanisms to accelerate access to health tools in low- and middle-income countries to bring COVID-19 and other diseases to an end.

With Dr. Okonjo-Iweala onboard as WTO’s new Director-General, and her long experience in economy, finance and development, we will continue to join efforts to collectively expand access to innovative treatment and care for all.

Media contact: Maggie Zander | +41 79 593 17 74 | zanderm@unitaid.who.int

Unitaid’s response to COVID-19 praised in UK government review

Geneva – Unitaid has received a high ‘A’ rating in its annual review from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

The UK’s annual review process assesses the effectiveness of all development projects supported by the UK government against a set of robust performance standards.

The report underscored the efficiency and effectiveness of Unitaid’s operating model, highlighting that “Unitaid continues to represent a strong value for money proposition” for UK investment.

Highlights from the report also included praise for Unitaid’s ‘proactive role in the response to COVID-19’ through its leadership in the ACT-Accelerator, commending the organisation’s ‘quick, decisive action and value-add in the areas of access to COVID-19 therapeutics and diagnostics, and health-system strengthening’.

Unitaid welcomes the outcome of this review and is focused on continuing to deliver impact from its investments, playing a lead role in equitable access for COVID-19 therapeutics and diagnostics and engaging with the global health community in the process of developing a new Strategy.

The full report can be read here.

Media contact: Charlotte Baker | tel. +44 7904 460 181 | bakerc@unitaid.who.int

Unitaid statement regarding Ivermectin as a potential COVID-19 treatment

Ivermectin, as well as other repurposed products, has been suggested as a potential treatment for COVID-19 based on preliminary promising evidence – further data is needed to support a definitive recommendation either for or against its use for COVID-19.

Unitaid has collaborated with the University of Liverpool to conduct the preliminary desk analysis of existing trials evaluating ivermectin in different countries of the world, in order to facilitate a review by WHO.

The preliminary analysis has incorporated data from randomised clinical studies that have been completed in Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, India, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Turkey, Nigeria, Argentina, Mexico, and Spain.

In the coming weeks, results from additional trials in other countries are expected, and an in-depth analysis will be conducted by WHO to determine next steps, including the potential need for further targeted clinical studies.

Media contact: 

Hervé Verhoosel | +44 7729 618634 | verhooselh@unitaid.who.int

Cost of rapid COVID-19 tests halved as global investment ensures availability of high volumes for low- and middle-income countries

  • Technology transfer, scale up and automation of manufacturing capacity will enable over 250 million high-quality tests to be made available for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) at a price of less than US$2.50 per test
  • A set of new agreements, the first of which with Premier Medical Corporation (PMC) of India, follow an open call for Expressions of Interest (EOI), launched last year by FIND and Unitaid on behalf of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, to drive equitable access to fit-for-purpose Ag RDTs for COVID-19

Geneva – The Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) and Unitaid, on behalf of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator Diagnostics Pillar, announced today that the first contracts have been finalized, following an open call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) that was launched on 4 July 2020 to drive equitable access to fit-for-purpose antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests (Ag RDTs) for COVID-19.

The agreement announced today, with Premier Medical Corporation (PMC), headquartered in Sarigam Gujarat, India, is the first in a set of investments in R&D, including technology transfer and manufacturing scale up, that will be announced in the coming weeks.

With support from FIND and Unitaid, the company is expanding and automating manufacturing capacity so that Ag RDTs can be made available to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) for less than US$2.50 per test (excluding transportation and potential duties). Achieving World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Use Listing (EUL) is a key contractual condition. The investment will enable current production of 3 million COVID-19 tests per month to be scaled up to 10 million per month by Q3 2021. The expanded manufacturing capacity can also be used in future to make affordable tests for other infectious diseases, including another potential pandemic.

This and subsequent investments stemming from the EOI will support technology transfer and scale up of regional manufacturing capacity, ultimately to enable over 250 million low-cost, high-quality tests to be made available for LMICs. Further development that will enable nasal sampling (less invasive than current nasopharyngeal swabbing) and enhanced test performance is also being supported as part of this project.

Testing continues to play a critical role in the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling patient care as well as providing decision makers with vital data to inform test-trace-isolate strategies and lockdowns. Despite the introduction of two Ag RDTs in September 2020, testing capacity remains highly centralized in many countries, and often insufficient to meet the current demand.

This is especially true in LMICs, where fragile health systems and exclusive reliance on global supply chains have often left healthcare providers unable to access urgently needed tests. While high-income countries are now conducting 252 tests per 100,000 people each day, in LMICs the rate is 10 times lower, at just 24 tests per 100,000 people.[1] These issues arise from a lack of access to the laboratories needed for processing more complex molecular tests, and populations who often live far from health centres and need rapid results to avoid multiple journeys.

The ACT-Accelerator estimates that 500 million COVID-19 diagnostic tests are needed in LMICs during 2021, 75% of which must be deployed in decentralized settings (i.e. primary healthcare, community-level care, hospital triage). Ag RDTs are the primary diagnostic test for detection of active SARS-CoV-2 infection in decentralized settings where timely molecular testing is not available.

Dr Catharina Boehme, CEO of FIND, said: “Ensuring LMICs have access to low-cost, high-quality Ag RDTs is of vital importance in our work to make sure that everyone who needs a test for COVID-19 can get one. This open, transparent EOI process has spurred new partnerships that mean new tests can be scaled up fast and in the volumes needed to drive down costs.”

Dr Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid, said: “Expanding access to rapid, high-quality diagnostics in LMICs, as part of a test and treat approach, is of crucial importance if we are to defeat this pandemic. The agreements we are announcing today are a vital part of that work, alongside our efforts in country preparedness, ensuring optimal conditions for these tests to be used on the ground.”

WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “Testing has been our compass in the fight against the pandemic and will continue to play a key role in gauging the effectiveness of vaccinations in communities. Today’s announcement brings new hope for the many countries that have flown blind in the face of the pandemic because they could not access or afford diagnostic tools. I urge the global community to keep supporting the ACT-Accelerator and bridge the funding gap of more than US$5.3 billion still needed for diagnostics.”

[1] Median values of 7-day rolling averages in each income group. Data correct as at 7 January 2021, www.finddx.org/covid-19/test-tracker

 Background notes

The EOI was launched on 4 July 2020 by FIND and Unitaid, on behalf of the Market Readiness Working Group of the ACT-Accelerator Diagnostics Pillar. It aims to accelerate supply and availability of quality-assured and regulatory-approved fit-for-purpose SARS-CoV-2 Ag RDTs that meet WHO criteria of quality, cost and accessibility. Interventions include facilitating regulatory approvals, increasing production capacity, addressing supply chain challenges, and strengthening local capacity for development and deployment of new tests within national testing strategies. Driving down prices to enable faster LMIC uptake is critical. Over 100 applications were received, with 34 selected for review by a panel of external experts.

About the ACT-Accelerator

The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, is a new, ground-breaking global collaboration to accelerate the development production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. It was set up in response to a call from G20 leaders in March 2020 and launched by WHO, the European Commission, France and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in April 2020. The ACT-Accelerator is not a decision-making body or a new organization, but works to speed up collaborative efforts among existing organizations to end the pandemic. It is a framework for collaboration that has been designed to bring key players around the table with the goal of ending the pandemic as quickly as possible through the accelerated development, equitable allocation, and scaled up delivery of tests, treatments and vaccines, thereby protecting health systems and restoring societies and economies in the near term. It draws on the experience of leading global health organizations which are tackling the world’s toughest health challenges, and who, by working together, are able to unlock new and more ambitious results against COVID-19. Its members share a commitment to ensure all people have access to all the tools needed to defeat COVID-19 and to work with unprecedented levels of partnership to achieve it. The ACT-Accelerator has four areas of work: diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccines and the health system connector. Cross-cutting all of these is the workstream on Access & Allocation.

The Diagnostics Pillar of the ACT-Accelerator is focused on ensuring that everyone who needs a test can get one. Workstreams span research and development, market readiness, procurement, and country preparedness. Achievements to date include laboratory trainings in partnership with Africa CDC in early February, and a suite of online courses deployed within weeks. Nearly 20 million tests have been procured with the Diagnostics Consortium, ensuring diagnostic access for LMICs and readiness for test-and-treat implementation in these countries. Independent evaluations of antibody tests are also being conducted, as high-quality antibody tests are essential to understand population immunity for future vaccine roll out.

Media contacts:

Unitaid

Hervé Verhoosel
Communications Lead
M: +44 77 29 618 634
verhooselh@unitaid.who.int

Charlotte Baker
Communications Officer
M: +44 7904 460 181
bakerc@unitaid.who.int

FIND

Sarah-Jane Loveday
Head of Communications
M: +41 (0) 79 431 62 44
media@finddx.org

For information on Unitaid’s response to COVID-19 please see https://unitaid.org/covid-19/#en

Other enquiries click here

Unitaid welcomes US$40 million from Norway to fight COVID-19

Geneva – Unitaid is pleased to welcome a contribution of NOK 350 million (US$40 million) from Norway towards its vital work on COVID-19 treatments and tests.

As a founding member of Unitaid, Norway has been a longstanding supporter of its efforts to bring forward life-saving global health innovations.

This funding will enable Unitaid to advance the development and equitable access to therapeutics and diagnostics for COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries, under the umbrella of the global Access to COVID Tools Accelerator (ACT-A).

The focus will be twofold: firstly, collaborating with FIND and industry partners to push forward the development of high-quality, affordable self-tests for COVID-19 that are suitable for use in low-resource settings.

Secondly, Unitaid will work with ACT-A partners to adapt COVID-19 treatments and initiate country preparedness for promising treatments such as monoclonal antibodies.

Dr Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid, said: “I would like to express my gratitude to Norway for the significant contribution to Unitaid to advance the development and equitable access to therapeutics and diagnostics for COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries. The Norwegian contribution will be vital to enhance disease control and hopefully decrease severe illness in the coming year.”

Norway’s Minister of International Development, Dag-Inge Ulstein said: “Unprecedented global collaboration has significantly advanced our understanding of what works to fight the disease and has contributed to major progress in the past months. However, we must remember that vaccines are only one part of the solution. We must ensure equitable access not only to vaccines, but also to tests and medicines, as well as strengthened health systems. We can only end this pandemic if we use all the tools in the toolbox.”

Media contacts: 

Hervé Verhoosel | +44 7729 618634 | verhooselh@unitaid.who.int

Charlotte Baker | tel. +44 7904 460 181 | bakerc@unitaid.who.int

Unitaid welcomes contribution from Canada

Geneva – Unitaid welcomes contribution of C$15 million (US$11.7 million) from Canada to its ongoing work on COVID-19 therapeutics and diagnostics under the global Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.

The funding, which forms part of a C$255 million overall package of support to the ACT-Accelerator, has been allocated to Unitaid to support equitable access to promising COVID-19 treatments and tests.

This important contribution to the ACT-A Therapeutics Pillar will be used to expand and adapt the portfolio of fit-for-purpose monoclonal antibodies for low- and middle-income countries, and address issues of supply, affordability and uptake of care.

Canada has also announced funding of C$230 million to procure monoclonal antibodies for low- and middle-income countries. This investment from Canada will ensure that should the treatment prove effective, it will reach low-resource countries at the same time as high-income ones.

Unitaid Executive Director Philippe Duneton said: “Unitaid commends Canada for its commitment to the principle of making treatments and tests for COVID-19 available to everyone who needs them. This contribution to Unitaid will help us make those principles a reality.”

Media contact:  

Hervé Verhoosel | +44 7729 618634 | verhooselh@unitaid.who.int

Strategy development launched and new areas for intervention agreed at 37th meeting of Unitaid’s Executive Board

Geneva – Unitaid will expand its portfolio to target challenges in reducing maternal mortality and tools for detecting tuberculosis, as a result of decisions taken at the 37th meeting of its Executive Board.

Held virtually from the 9th to 10th December 2020, the meeting also saw Unitaid launch the development of its new strategy for 2022-26, agree its budget for 2021 and invite Japan to join the Executive Board.

The Board has approved an external review as an important step towards the development of Unitaid’s next strategy. As a key component of this process, extensive stakeholder engagement will be undertaken throughout 2021, to gain the thoughts and inputs of Unitaid’s partners, grant implementers and civil society groups.

The new areas for intervention agreed by the Board focus on challenges that are deeply relevant to Unitaid’s core work, namely reducing the number of women who die in pregnancy or childbirth, and increasing the detection of TB.

Almost 300,000 women died as a result of pregnancy or childbirth in 2017, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. Unitaid sees great potential in new tools to treat post-partum haemorrhage and pre-eclampsia in particular, leveraging our comparative advantage and strong track record in related areas.

Tuberculosis detection is recognised as a high-impact area for intervention which could play a significant role in advancing both the WHO End TB strategy and the Sustainable Development Goals. Without substantial investment in detection tools, TB will continue to be a leading cause of death in many low- and middle-income countries and among the most vulnerable. Unitaid is pleased to take this opportunity to examine the potential impact of innovations, particularly in the areas of non-sputum based testing and integrated diagnostic solutions, while leveraging the learnings from COVID-19.

Unitaid’s Executive Board Chair Marisol Touraine said: “I am proud that Unitaid’s Executive Board showed ambition and openness. This meeting was extremely productive and strategic. We were able to express a clear and strategic vision for Unitaid to build on its historic ground-breaking work, as well as areas such as maternal and child health, while maintaining its vital role in the fight against COVID-19. This meeting was also an exciting moment as we expanded our Executive Board for the first time in many years by creating a temporary board seat and welcoming Japan, as well as taking the first steps towards developing the new strategy for 2022-26.”

Unitaid’s Executive Director Philippe Duneton said: “It is fantastic to see the board approve future investments in the fields of maternal health and TB detection, which are key elements of Unitaid’s mandate. It is clear that innovation has a vital role to play in bringing down the number of deaths of women during childbirth and pregnancy.  Improving how TB is detected, and identifying cases of TB more quickly and easily is even more important in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Media contact:  

Republic of Korea contributes US$1 million to increase access to COVID-19 diagnostics

Geneva – Unitaid is pleased to announce that the Republic of Korea has contributed a US$1 million to support the Diagnostic Partnership of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A). This extra funding comes in addition to the core financial support provided by the Republic of Korea to Unitaid.

Effective and rapid testing strategies are crucial to ensure the COVID-19 pandemic is brought to an end. The ACT-A has identified that an estimated 500 million COVID-19 diagnostic tests will be needed in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) by mid-2021.

Within the Diagnostic Partnership co-led by FIND and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Unitaid plays a key role in accelerating the development and securing production capacities of rapid, affordable and quality-assured antigen diagnostic tests (Ag RDTs) to meet the needs of LMICs.

Reliable, affordable Ag RDTs have been identified as key tools in the global response to COVID-19, as they could substantially reduce the transmission of COVID-19, by enabling more rapid identification and isolation of active cases. Ag RDTs are far faster and easier to perform than RT-PCR tests and can more readily be decentralized within countries and in places with limited access to laboratory facilities.

The Diagnostics Partnership has been instrumental in making quality rapid antigen tests available, including 120 million tests reserved for low- and middle-income countries purchase within just 8 months.

The additional contribution of the Republic of Korea will be used to support Unitaid’s efforts to enable access to testing worldwide.

“We thank the Republic of Korea for this additional support which will help improve access to rapid diagnostics. Making efficient, affordable and quality-assured tests available for all is essential to eliminate COVID-19,” said Dr. Philippe Duneton, Unitaid’s Executive Director.

“Diagnosis is the beginning of the process of defeating COVID-19. As a long-standing partner of Unitaid, we commend Unitaid and ACT-A partners’ efforts to combat COVID-19. The Republic of Korea has been actively participating in the work of ACT-A. We hope that this contribution, in addition to our bilateral assistance to more than 120 countries, will lead to greater access to diagnostics for developing countries,” said Cho Yeongmoo, Director-General for Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and board member of Unitaid.

M. Cho Yeongmoo, on behalf of the government of the Republic of Korea and Dr. Philippe Duneton signed the memorandum of understanding outlining the country’s support, following a bilateral discussion on December 2.

Media contact: Maggie Zander | +41 79 593 17 74 | zanderm@unitaid.who.int