Unitaid marks World Pneumonia Day and calls on all partners for more funding to the oxygen response

Geneva – On World Pneumonia Day, Unitaid calls on all partners to dramatically increase funding for the oxygen response and joins Every Breath Counts Coalition in urging high-burden country governments to take action to reduce air pollution-related pneumonia deaths.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, pneumonia was the world’s biggest infectious killer of adults and children with 2.5 million reported deaths in 2019. Almost a third of all pneumonia deaths were due to polluted air in 2019. This curable and preventable infectious disease remains the deadliest for children under five, claiming 670,000 lives each year; most deaths occurring among children under the age of one.

Coupled with antibiotics, medical oxygen could save the lives of many children who develop severe pneumonia. Access to medical oxygen commodities is therefore a vital component in the fight against pneumonia. Now, with the COVID-19 health crisis, the challenges around provision in low- and middle-income (LMICs) countries have never been greater.

Robert Matiru, Director of Programmes at Unitaid, warns that without increased efforts to address pneumonia and inequities in access to lifesaving tools, most low- and middle-income countries will not meet the related sustainable development goal targets set by the United Nations for 2030. The target for child mortality aims to end, by 2030, preventable deaths of new-borns and children under 5 years of age.

“We need more political commitment; we need additional investments for health products such as pulse oximeters for checking blood-oxygen level to detect severe disease as well as oxygen itself to save lives,” said Robert Matiru. “And lastly, we need more coordinated efforts among all partners at global, regional and country level.”

Since 2019, Unitaid and its partners have helped strengthen access to pulse oximeters adapted for children in primary health care facilities in LMICs. These efforts aim to address poor availability of pulse oximeters, improve the identification of hypoxaemia, and the onwards referral of severely sick children. Once hypoxaemia is identified, it is crucial that oxygen therapy is initiated as quickly as possible, but access to safe, affordable oxygen in LMICs remains low.

With the World Health Organization and Wellcome, Unitaid is leading global efforts to address barriers to oxygen access such as high pricing or lack of medical oxygen capacity. Together with multiple partners, we are working to assess and develop solutions adapted to the needs of countries such as pressure swing absorption plants, bulk liquid oxygen, as well as portable oxygen concentrators.

In addition to meet the immediate needs of the COVID-19 pandemic, this collaborative endeavour aims to leverage gains in access to medical oxygen commodities in order to help with long-term pneumonia control.

Media contact:

Sarah Mascheroni

Communications officer

Email: mascheronisa@who.int

Mobile: +41 79 728 73 11

FIND and Unitaid invest US$ 50 million to speed lifesaving testing and treatment solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic’s frontlines

  • New funding to the COVID-19 response across seven complementary grants will help fill testing and treatment gaps
  • The grants, adapting novel strategies to the needs of 22 low- and middle-income countries, will focus on generating robust evidence for global scale-up
  • These grants have been made in the context of the diagnostics and the therapeutics pillars of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, designed to rapidly address global inequities in access to COVID-19 testing and treatment

Geneva, 9 November 2021 – FIND, Unitaid, and partners are joining forces to quickly deliver new end-to-end strategies that will accelerate and enhance improved access to diagnostics and treatment, while continuing to build capacity for test-trace-isolate and treatment efforts to contain the ongoing spread of the virus.

Seven grants aim to address inequities in access to COVID-19 testing and treatment, supporting early adoption of comprehensive care packages in low- and middle-income countries across Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Western Pacific, where testing capacity is insufficient and life-saving treatments are practically unavailable. The grants will generate high-quality evidence to inform the World Health Organization guidelines and national policies addressing the optimal approaches to scaling new testing and treatment solutions.

These investments are being made as promising new medicines are emerging, including the oral antiviral molnupiravir. Effective oral outpatient drugs would offer a widespread, scalable way to stop disease progression, reduce hospitalizations, ease the strain on health systems, and reduce deaths. If these drugs are recommended for use, they could be game changers in the pandemic: simple-to-use oral pills, easier and less expensive to produce in large volumes and easier to deliver in outpatient settings. Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator partners are anticipating a series of market interventions to ensure that, when proven safe and effective, the medicines are available in sufficient quantities and at the lowest possible price for all countries in need.

Promptly testing people with mild COVID-19 symptoms for rapid treatment initiation depends on strong links between COVID-19 testing and the availability of medicine across every country.

The new FIND–Unitaid co-investment coincides with the ACT-Accelerator’s renewed mandate for 2022 to accelerate the development and delivery of critical tools and respond to country needs. The updated ACT-Accelerator Strategic Plan notes that, for outpatient treatments, approaches to increasing access to testing and treatment will be key to ensure timely detection and linkage to care, in order to treat patients who may benefit most, including those in high-risk groups and healthcare workers.

The grants will leverage existing laboratory and testing networks to offer additional testing options, such as simple, accurate and affordable antigen-detection rapid diagnostic tests (Ag RDTs) and COVID-19 self-tests. Decentralizing simple, affordable, rapid tests will enable quick linkages to care for vulnerable populations. The grants will also support the introduction of emerging therapeutics as they become recommended including new or repurposed medicines, small molecules, and monoclonal antibodies.

Aurum Institute/KNCV, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, FIOTEC, ISGlobal, Partners In Health, and Population Services International have been selected to implement the grants through a transparent, competitive process following a Request for Proposals launched in April this year among Unitaid’s current implementing partners. The selected global health organizations will build on their deep expertise and partnership with national authorities and civil society organizations in making health products more available and affordable in low- and middle-income countries for other diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and cervical cancer, and will be focusing on five main areas of work: evidence generation, catalytic implementation, enabling environment, demand creation to effective transition, and scale-up.

“As we continue to battle the pandemic on multiple fronts, the stark reality is that millions of people in many countries won’t have access to vaccines for months – so test-and-treat strategies are vital to save lives,” said Dr Bill Rodriguez, CEO of FIND. “With exciting new treatment options on the near horizon, we must work together to identify the people who need treatment and ensure they have access to effective therapies without delay.”

“With the number of COVID-19 reported cases and deaths increasing globally, the pandemic is far from over, and inequities in access to lifesaving health products persist,” Unitaid Executive Director, Dr Philippe Duneton, said. “Equitable access to innovative solutions to test and treat all eligible patients, adapted to the needs of low- and middle-income countries, is urgently needed to change the curve of the pandemic and help avert millions of deaths. This new co-investment from Unitaid and FIND will contribute to achieve this goal.”

About Unitaid
Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases more quickly, cheaply, and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Its work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities such as cervical cancer and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management. Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization.

 

About FIND

FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics, seeks to ensure equitable access to reliable diagnosis around the world. We connect countries and communities, funders, decision-makers, healthcare providers and developers to spur diagnostic innovation and make testing an integral part of sustainable, resilient health systems. We are working to save 1 million lives through accessible, quality diagnosis, and save US$1 billion in healthcare costs to patients and health systems. We are co-convener of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator diagnostics pillar, and a WHO Collaborating Centre for Laboratory Strengthening and Diagnostic Technology Evaluation.

 

About the ACT-Accelerator

The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator is a global coalition of organizations developing and deploying the new diagnostics, treatments and vaccines needed to end the acute phase of the pandemic. Pooling the expertise of its many partners, the ACT-Accelerator has quickly ushered in rapid, affordable tests and effective medicines, and established the COVAX facility for the equitable procurement and distribution of vaccines in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Media contacts

For more information and media requests:

FIND

Sarah-Jane Loveday

Director of Communications

Mobile: +41 79 431 62 44

Email: media@finddx.org

 

Unitaid

Maggie Zander

Communications officer

Mobile: +41 79 593 17 74

Email: zanderm@unitaid.who.int

Unitaid statement at the G20 Joint Finance and Health Ministers’ Meeting

Rome, 29 October – Executive Director of Unitaid, Dr Philippe Duneton, spoke today in a session on ‘Addressing the Current Pandemic’ as part of the G20 Finance and Health Ministers’ Meeting, 2021.

During the meeting, Dr Duneton reiterated the continued urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic – highlighting the risks posed by the emergence of new variants and the unequal access to vaccines – and announced three pieces of good news:

First, new antiviral medicines for COVID-19, which have shown to efficiently reduce the number of people hospitalized and deaths, are under review and should be available soon.

Second, there is a clear path to secure enough treatments to supply low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Novel treatments – such as molnupiravir, developed by MSD/Merck – are cheaper, in addition to being easier to produce and implement, than biological products. Creating generic markets for these antivirals is an urgent next step.

Third, MSD/Merck has agreed to grant voluntary licences to eight generic manufacturers. And this week, MSD/Merck signed a ground-breaking agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) – which was founded by Unitaid ten years ago – to expand the number of generic manufacturers.

Dr Duneton called on G20 members to encourage the private sector to increase the scope of countries that can benefit from this voluntary licence and to create access provisions to medicines that respond to public health needs.

Beyond expanding access, there is an urgent need to work with regulatory agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners to ensure that countries can receive and deliver these life-saving treatments.

Medical oxygen remains one of the main medicines available to treat hospitalized patients and prevent avoidable deaths. Despite recent progress, access to oxygen remains a challenge in many countries, warned Dr Duneton, highlighting the continued need for financing to support global demand.

The world still needs resources to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, reduce the number of people hospitalized, and save lives. Fully funding global response mechanisms such as the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) is crucial to bringing an end to the pandemic.

The ACT-A Therapeutics Pillar, co-led by Unitaid and Wellcome, needs an estimated US$3.5 billion to deliver treatments, including oxygen, over the next 12 months.

Following Dr. Duneton’s intervention, the G20 Ministers adopted a communiqué.

About Unitaid
Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases more quickly, cheaply, and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Its work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities such as cervical cancer and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management. Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization.

 

About the ACT-Accelerator

The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator is a global coalition of organizations developing and deploying the new diagnostics, treatments and vaccines needed to end the acute phase of the pandemic. Pooling the expertise of its many partners, the ACT-Accelerator has quickly ushered in rapid, affordable tests and effective medicines, and established the COVAX facility for the equitable procurement and distribution of vaccines in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Media contacts

For more information and media requests:

Unitaid

Maggie Zander

Mobile: +41 79 593 17 74

Email: zanderm@unitaid.who.int

WHO-Unitaid statement on the MPP licensing agreement for molnupiravir

Geneva, 27 October 2021 – WHO and Unitaid welcome the signing of a voluntary licensing agreement by the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and MSD to facilitate affordable access to molnupiravir, a new medicine being tested in clinical trials for treating COVID-19 in adults.

Molnupiravir, an investigational oral antiviral medicine, was reported to reduce the risk of hospitalization in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 by 50% in interim phase III clinical trials. It is currently being evaluated for inclusion into the WHO living guideline on COVID-19 therapeutics and is pending authorization for its use from regulatory bodies. If approved, it will be the first oral medicine for non-hospitalized mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients.

The MPP/MSD licensing agreement is a positive step towards creating broader access to the treatment as quickly as possible by allowing generic licensees from around the world to prepare supplies and create more affordable versions of the medicine, pending WHO recommendations and other regulatory authorizations. This will shorten the time from approval of the medicine to its availability in the 105 low- and middle-income countries covered by the licence and where there is no patent infringement and licensed know-how has not been used. We hope the company will include other key countries in the scope of the agreement in the near future.

We commend MPP for negotiating the licence from a public health perspective – in line with WHO’s COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) principles, it is non-exclusive and transparent.

We urge the manufacturer to provide data of clinical trials to WHO as soon as possible, so that the agency can evaluate the medicine for global use.

Other companies developing vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics should consider open and transparent licences as soon as possible, especially for other promising COVID-19 health technologies, for which we also need to ensure broad supply and affordability in all countries in order to end the pandemic. Both the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) and C-TAP, in partnership with MPP, are working to facilitate such licences, and look forward to an open dialogue with relevant developers.

About Unitaid
Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases more quickly, cheaply, and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Its work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities such as cervical cancer and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management. Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization.

About WHO

The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States across six regions, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and well-being.

For updates on COVID-19 and public health advice to protect yourself from coronavirus, visit www.who.int and follow WHO on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube, and Twitch.

About the ACT-Accelerator

The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator is a global coalition of organizations developing and deploying the new diagnostics, treatments and vaccines needed to end the acute phase of the pandemic. Pooling the expertise of its many partners, the ACT-Accelerator has quickly ushered in rapid, affordable tests and effective medicines, and established the COVAX facility for the equitable procurement and distribution of vaccines in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Media contacts

For more information and media requests:

WHO Media inquiries

Telephone: +41 22 791 2222

Email: mediainquiries@who.int

Unitaid

Maggie Zander

Mobile: +41 79 593 17 74

Email: zanderm@unitaid.who.int

Unitaid statement on molnupiravir as a treatment for mild and moderate COVID-19

Geneva, 1 October 2021 – Unitaid, on behalf of partners in the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, welcomes today’s announcement on molnupiravir, an investigational oral antiviral medicine for treatment of mild and moderate COVID-19. Interim Phase 3 clinical trial results show that molnupiravir significantly reduced the risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 by approximately 50 percent when given in the early stages of infection.

“Effective, simple to use, oral treatments that can avert the progression to severe illness are exactly the kind of breakthroughs we need to get the pandemic under control. Deployed alongside vaccines, such medicines could drive down hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19,” said Dr Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid.

Such a treatment could fundamentally change the response to the pandemic, enabling integrated test-and-care strategies when deployed together with appropriate diagnostic tests.

Anticipating the possibility of a recommendation supporting use, Unitaid and ACT Accelerator partners are working to secure volumes of oral, outpatient treatment to ensure rapid access for people in low- and middle-income countries.

ACT Accelerator strategic priorities reflect the activities and funding needed to support an effective, oral treatment for mild and moderate COVID-19, which could directly benefit over 100m patients in low and middle-income countries. Access planning is key to ensure adequate supply and rapid deployment of effective tools. This announcement stresses the need for additional funding for tests and treatment, and the activities needed to make them available as rapidly as possible in all countries.

ACT Accelerator partners’ work is focused on closing the equity gap and ensuring that new tools can benefit people affected by COVID-19, no matter where they live. Fully funding the work of the ACT Accelerator Therapeutics and Diagnostics Pillars will ensure the latest treatments reach all countries where they are needed.

About Unitaid
Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases more quickly, cheaply, and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Its work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities such as cervical cancer and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management. Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization.

About the ACT-Accelerator

The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator is a global coalition of organizations developing and deploying the new diagnostics, treatments and vaccines needed to end the acute phase of the pandemic. Pooling the expertise of its many partners, the ACT-Accelerator has quickly ushered in rapid, affordable tests and effective medicines, and established the COVAX facility for the equitable procurement and distribution of vaccines in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Media contact

Hervé Verhoosel, Unitaid, Geneva | verhooselh@unitaid.who.int | tel. +44 77 29 618 634

Maggie Zander, Unitaid, Geneva | zanderm@unitaid.who.int | tel. +41 79 593 17 74

Unitaid’s statement on the recommendation of casirivimab/imdevimab for COVID-19 treatment

Geneva, 24 September 2021 – Unitaid welcomes the WHO guidelines published today that recommend the use of the combination of two monoclonal antibodies for the treatment for both outpatients and patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

The need to have effective treatments for COVID-19 has never been greater, with many countries around the world facing case surges driven by Delta and other variants. These surges are having a particularly devastating impact on low- and middle- income countries, which continue to have limited access to vaccines.

Global, equitable access to new tools against COVID-19 is crucial if we are to ensure that hard-won developments in the fight against the pandemic can reach all those who may benefit. We now need to see how new therapeutic options, as they become recommended, can reach their potential in all settings, including in low- and middle-income countries.

With this newly recommended treatment, Unitaid notes the feasibility challenges, severely constrained supply, and – for non-hospitalized patients – limited benefit for all but those at highest risk, as detailed in the guidelines. WHO allocation criteria will be critical in helping identify people who may benefit from this treatment. A proposed initial donation from Roche/Regeneron, to be managed by UNICEF, could help meet immediate needs and ensure casirivimab/imdevimab reaches people who could benefit. However a limited donation – on its own – is not enough to ensure equitable, global access to lifesaving COVID-19 treatments. Broader access commitments are needed from industry to ensure that pricing and supply conditions enable this product to reach all people regardless of where they live.

The rapid introduction of new treatments, together with appropriate testing to guide their use, will save lives and pave the way for access to a broader range of therapeutics, as and when they become available. Unitaid looks forward to products that are best adapted to the needs of low- and middle-income countries and all countries facing surges, where health systems are currently overwhelmed. Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator partners, in support of countries and all people in need of treatment, are working to support availability and access to forthcoming products. Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator partners are ready to work with industry to make broad and equitable access a reality for all.

About Unitaid
Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases more quickly, cheaply, and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Its work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities such as cervical cancer and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management. Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization.

Media contact

Hervé Verhoosel, Unitaid, Geneva | verhooselh@unitaid.who.int | tel. +44 77 29 618 634

Maggie Zander, Unitaid, Geneva | zanderm@unitaid.who.int | tel. +41 79 593 17 74

Joint Statement from Unitaid and the World Health Organization (on behalf of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator) regarding availability of tocilizumab

Geneva – WHO and Unitaid are concerned by Roche’s statement yesterday, warning of a global shortage of tocilizumab (brand name Actemra/RoActemra), an IL6 inhibitor WHO recommended in June for use as a treatment for severe COVID-19 cases. Tocilizumab can play a key role in decreasing mortality and reducing need for invasive mechanical ventilation among severely ill patients, when delivered alongside oxygen and corticosteroids.

While we welcome and acknowledge that Roche has announced measures to address the shortage, we call on the company to ensure equitable allocation of current stocks of this medicine for all countries, including low- and middle-income countries.

We also strongly encourage Roche to facilitate technology transfer and knowledge and data sharing to broaden access to this important treatment.

The ACT-A partnership Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator partners are working with Roche to set up channels for distribution of tocilizumab in places where it is not yet in use, as part of their effort to support roll-out of effective new therapeutic products for COVID-19.

In addition, WHO has issued a call for Expression of Interest to its Prequalification programme to expand the number of quality-assured manufacturers of the drug and thus to increase global supplies.

WHO and Unitaid remain committed to ensuring equitable access to medicines for treating patients with severe COVID-19 as a vital element of the effort to fight the pandemic everywhere and save lives.

 

Unitaid and the World Health Organization

About Unitaid
Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases more quickly, cheaply, and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Its work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities such as cervical cancer and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management. Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization.

 

About WHO

The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States across six regions, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and well-being.

For updates on COVID-19 and public health advice to protect yourself from coronavirus, visit www.who.int and follow WHO on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube, and Twitch.

 

About the ACT-Accelerator

The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator is a global coalition of organizations developing and deploying the new diagnostics, treatments and vaccines needed to end the acute phase of the pandemic. Pooling the expertise of its many partners, the ACT-Accelerator has quickly ushered in rapid, affordable tests and effective medicines, and established the COVAX facility for the equitable procurement and distribution of vaccines in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Media contact

WHO Media Team: mediainquiries@who.int

Hervé Verhoosel, Head of Communications, Unitaid: verhooselh@unitaid.who.int

FIND and Unitaid invest to support technology transfer and boost local production of COVID-19 rapid tests in low- and middle-income countries

  • Technology transfer agreements signed to enable expanded production of high-quality antigen rapid tests in Africa and Latin America
  • Agreements signed with DCN Dx to transfer know-how to WAMA Diagnóstica (Brazil), and Bionote and Mologic to transfer know-how to DIATROPIX of the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (Senegal)
  • Separate partnership between Viatris (South Africa) and Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech (China) supported to enable commercialization and distribution of high-quality Ag RDTs in low- and middle-income countries
  • Agreements follow open call launched last year by FIND and Unitaid on behalf of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, to drive equitable access to rapid tests for COVID-19

Geneva, 15 July 2021 – Local manufacturing of COVID-19 rapid tests in Africa and Latin America will be dramatically expanded, thanks to investment from FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics, and Unitaid.

Following a call for Expressions of Interest launched under the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT)-Accelerator Diagnostics Pillar, contracts have now been finalized to drive equitable access to fit-for-purpose antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag RDTs) for COVID-19.

The pandemic has exposed how fragile health systems and an exclusive reliance on global supply chains leave many countries without access to the tests they need to control COVID-19. Today, high-income countries are testing people for COVID-19 over 60 times more than low-income countries.[1] Expanded production capacity in local and regional hubs is critical to ensuring that healthcare providers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) can implement effective testing strategies to contain the spread of the virus.

Agreements have been signed to support collaborations between Xixia Pharmaceuticals (a subsidiary of Viatris) and Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech (Wondfo), DCN Dx, and WAMA Diagnóstica, and DIATROPIX of the Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Bionote, and Mologic.

FIND and Unitaid are supporting the creation of a Centre of Excellence at DCN Dx to facilitate RDT technology transfer to LMIC manufacturers. WAMA Diagnóstica, based in Brazil, is the first of these, and will supply the Latin America and Caribbean region. Test volumes are expected to reach 2 million tests per month, with a ceiling price of US$2.00 (ex-works).

To serve the African continent, DIATROPIX of the Institut Pasteur de Dakar in Senegal is being supported to scale up manufacturing of Ag RDTs transferred from Mologic and Bionote. Through this support, diaTROPIX will seek regulatory authorization for the transferred tests and commercialize them under its own brand, with the aim of reaching 2.5 million tests per month by 2022, at prices ranging from US$2.50 to US$2.00 (ex-works) with a view to further reductions in the near future.

In a further boost to testing capacity in LMICs, FIND and Unitaid announce that Wondfo, based in Guangzhou, China, is teaming up with Viatris (operating through its subsidiary Xixia Pharmaceuticals based in Gauteng, South Africa) to bring its low-cost Ag RDTs to market in LMICs. This partnership between a high-volume manufacturer and a distributor with global reach has the potential to produce 144 million tests per year, at a ceiling price of US$2.50 (ex-works).

Recently released WHO guidance on national SARS-CoV-2 testing strategies emphasises the important role of high-quality Ag RDTs. They remain the primary diagnostic test for detection of active SARS-CoV-2 infection in decentralized settings where timely molecular testing is not available.

Marta Fernández Suárez, Senior Director of R&D at FIND, said: “Scaling up testing capacity in LMICs is one of our highest priorities. The expression of interest (EOI) process has enabled us to identify partnerships that we believe can have a great impact in key regions that are of critical importance to the pandemic and potentially beyond, to help ensure that everyone who needs a test can get one.”

Vincent Bretin, Director of Results at Unitaid, said: “Increasing the capacity of local and regional hubs to produce COVID-19 tests will be vital if we are to ensure truly equitable access to this crucial tool. Currently the vast majority of rapid tests being used in low- and middle-income countries are manufactured in just two countries in one region, so these agreements are an important step in ensuring that countries are equipped to detect cases of COVID-19, helping contain outbreaks and bringing a swifter end to the pandemic.”

Announcement of these agreements follows a technical workshop on local production of diagnostics in LMICs, hosted by the World Health Organization, UNDP and FIND, to contribute to the ongoing development of comprehensive and practical measures to catalyse and sustain production of diagnostics in these countries. More details and a recording of the meeting is available here.

[1] Median values of 7-day rolling averages in each income group, as reported by countries. Data correct as at 30 June 2021, www.finddx.org/covid-19/test-tracker

About the expression of interest (EOI)

The EOI was launched on 4 July 2020 by FIND and Unitaid, on behalf of the R&D and Digital and the Market Readiness Working Groups 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 accelerating late-stage product development and optimization, facilitating technology transfer activities, conducting performance evaluation studies to support regulatory submissions, 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 and supporting the use of less invasive specimens to enable faster LMIC uptake are also critical. Over 100 applications were received, with 34 selected for review by a panel of external experts. A first collaboration with Premier Medical Corporation in India was announced earlier this year.

 

About FIND

FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics, seeks to ensure equitable access to reliable diagnosis around the world. We connect countries and communities, funders, decision-makers, healthcare providers and developers to spur diagnostic innovation and make testing an integral part of sustainable, resilient health systems. We are working to save 1 million lives through accessible, quality diagnosis, and save US$1 billion in healthcare costs to patients and health systems. We are co-convener of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator diagnostics pillar, and a WHO Collaborating Centre for Laboratory Strengthening and Diagnostic Technology Evaluation. For more information, please visit www.finddx.org.

 

About Unitaid
Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases more quickly, cheaply, and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Its work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities such as cervical cancer and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management. Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization.

 

About the ACT-Accelerator

The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator is a global coalition of organizations developing and deploying the new diagnostics, treatments and vaccines needed to end the acute phase of the pandemic. Pooling the expertise of its many partners, the ACT-Accelerator has quickly ushered in rapid, affordable tests and effective medicines, and established the COVAX facility for the equitable procurement and distribution of vaccines in low- and middle-income countries.

The ACT Accelerator’s work is more vital than ever as new variants of the virus threaten to resist current COVID-19 tools, posing the risk of more death, illness, and social and economic harm. The ACT-Accelerator has four areas of work, or pillars:

A workstream on access and allocation of COVID-19 products, hosted by WHO, cuts across the four pillars.

The ACT Accelerator partnership was formed at the onset of the pandemic in response to a call from G20 leaders, and was launched by WHO, the European Commission, France, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Critical funding for the effort comes from an unprecedented mobilization of donors, including countries, the private sector, philanthropists and multilateral partners. It has supported the fastest, most coordinated, and successful global effort in history to develop tools to fight a disease.

Media contacts

FIND

Sarah-Jane Loveday

Director of Communications

media@finddx.org | +41 79 431 62 44

 

Unitaid

Hervé Verhoosel

Director a.i. External Relations and Communication

verhooselh@unitaid.who.int | tel. +44 77 29 618 634

 

Unitaid

Maggie Zander

Communications Officer

zanderm@unitaid.who.int | tel. +41 79 593 17 74