CEPI Plans to Reduce Risk of Future Pandemics and Epidemics with Global Leaders’ Support and a $3.5 Billion Plan

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced on March 10, 2021 that governments and global health organizations have shown their support for CEPI’s $3.5 billion plan to reduce or eliminate the future risk of pandemics and epidemics.

According to a company press release, CEPI plans to dedicate $1 billion of the $3.5 billion toward the research and development of new vaccines aimed at variants of concern. The company also plans to launch a call for proposals at the end of March 2021 that will provide $200 million in funding for an “all-in-one” vaccine that could protect against several strains of coronaviruses, including SARS, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2.

Additionally, CEPI released a six-point strategy to prepare for the next possible outbreak. Its strategies include:

• Reducing the risk of a future coronavirus pandemic by improving current vaccines, targeting variants of concern, developing new vaccines, and developing universal vaccines.
• Developing and completing vaccines for additional known threats, including chikungunya, Lassa fever, Nipah, MERS, Rift Valley fever, and Ebola.
• Limiting vaccine development timelines to 100 days.
• Organizing a library of protype vaccines.
• Creating global networks for lab capacity, assays, and preclinical models for rapid vaccine development.
• Taking full ownership of low- and middle-income countries’ national health security by conducting epidemiological and clinical studies, supporting technology transfer, and establishing national and regional vaccine manufacturing.

Currently, supporters of the plan include the governments of Germany, Norway, and Ethiopia; Wellcome and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; the World Economic Forum; and the World Health Organization, Gavi, and UNICEF, according to the press release.

“Reducing the risk of future pandemics and epidemics is a critical global issue that will benefit every single human on earth,” said Richard Hatchett, CEO, CEPI, in the press release. “The backing from governments and global health bodies for CEPI’s plan is testament to the importance of this issue, and the unique role that CEPI plays in this global effort. Our five-year plan is ambitious, yet achievable, and we look forward to working with everyone who has backed us so far to protect the world from the devastating impacts of pandemics and epidemics.”

Source: CEPI