2022 Pulse check; is the world on track to develop pandemic tools within 100 days?
Top Lines:
-2022 100 Day mission implementation report published today by new independent International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat.
-Six core themes still require action from the global community, from better R&D coordination to Day 0 surge financing if the mission is to be achieved.
-Nominations invited for the Science and Technology Expert Group (STEG) to oversee the implementation of the 100 day mission.
Second 100 Day mission implementation report
Today (Tuesday 31st January) the International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat (IPPS) publishes the 2022 implementation report on progress against the 100DM. Building on the previous report published in December 2021, this report serves to track and celebrate progress in pandemic preparedness from January to December 2022. Progress highlights include the establishment of the Pandemic Fund with $1.6 billion pledged, the expansion of existing vaccine manufacturing plans in Africa and over $800M in new funding announced for pandemic therapeutics. A proposed path forward for 2023 is outlined, targeting areas where the community of implementation partners, with support from the secretariat, should focus their efforts to keep the 100 Day Mission within reach and strengthen overall pandemic preparedness.
The first 100 days of a pandemic are crucial to changing its course. By the time a vaccine had been developed and approved in response to COVID-19, albeit in a record 326 days, an estimated 68.7 million cases had been reported worldwide. Had such a vaccine been made available within 100 days, when there were around 2.3 million cases, countless lives and livelihoods could have been saved and the $12.5 trillion1 in lost economic output predicted by 2024 could have been mitigated.
The report covers progress against the 100 Days Mission and each of its 25 recommendations based on a combination of desk research, interviews with global health and PPR stakeholders, and pro-forma surveys from implementation partners. The report identifies 6 areas of focus that will need effort to sustain momentum and capitalize on opportunities in 2023. These include coordinating R&D against priority virus families; advancing programmable platform technologies for vaccines and therapeutics; integrating global diagnostic R&D and surveillance efforts; accelerating clinical trial and regulatory processes for data generation; building sustainable, regional DTV manufacturing capacity; and agreeing on ‘Day 0’ surge financing mechanisms.
Encouragingly several of these areas have already been identified as key priorities for the Japanese G7 presidency and the Indian G20 Presidency in 2023.
‘I believe it is important for both the public and private sectors to recognise what is required towards the goal of the 100 Days Mission, reflect on the gaps that exist at present, and address the emerging issues in each work plan. Monitoring progress across the relevant entities is an essential process, in which the newly established International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat is expected to play a catalytic role.’
Dr Yasumasa Fukushima, Chief Medical and Global Health Officer, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and Acting Director-General, Office of Healthcare Policy, Cabinet Secretariat of the Japanese Government (from afterword in 2022 Implementation report)
‘India stands ready to collaborate with all partners under its G20 presidency to strengthen sustainable mechanisms and effective partnerships to ensure rapid access to safe, effective, and affordable medical countermeasures for endemic and pandemic diseases and maintain the momentum towards the achievement of the 100 Day mission.’
Mr. Lav Agarwal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India (from afterword in 2022 Implementation report)
The 100 Days Mission (100DM) is an international effort to safely and sustainably reduce the time required to develop and deploy diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines (DTVs) to within 100 days of a PHEIC (Public Health Emergency of International Concern) declaration.
This is the second implementation report on the 100 Day Mission but the first done independently by the new International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat. The secretariat will drive forward the 100DM by catalysing scientific exchange and facilitating multidisciplinary cooperation between key implementation partners. The secretariat aims to empower the global community to maintain ambition toward the 100DM, supporting continuity across rotating G7 and G20 presidencies and helping identify priority areas for investment. The secretariat aims to complement the existing efforts of many multilateral organisations including the WHO, CEPI, and industry partners. The secretariat will be a time-limited entity: there will be a progress review in 2024, and it is expected to complete its work by 2026.
Open call for Science and Technology Expert group to support the 100DM
The secretariat’s work will be guided by the Science and Technology Expert Group (STEG), co-chaired by Soumya Swaminathan, former Chief Scientific Adviser to The World Health Organisation and Victor Dzau, President of the National Academy of Medicines in the US. The STEG will be an independent group of globally diverse cross-sectoral technical experts, providing scientific rigour to future annual implementation reports, researching solutions to implementation barriers and galvanising support from the global scientific community on pandemic preparedness.
The Secretariat is currently welcoming open nominations (closing 5th February) for STEG membership from scientists and experts in all regions with expertise in the areas critical to the success of the 100DM. The group will be selected by an independent selection panel and will ensure gender and regional diversity in addition to content area expertise.
Dr. Arati Prabhakar, President Biden’s Chief Science Advisor and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
“The 100 Days Mission provides us the roadmap to stop outbreaks before they become pandemics, so that all people around the world can be protected from emerging threats. Achieving this mission requires strong collaboration across governments, industry, and civil society, and the United States is committed to working with global partners to get the job done,”
Sir Patrick Vallance, UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser & Independent Chair of the 100DM steering group
“There was significant progress and momentum around the 100 Days Mission in 2022. We now have the opportunity as a global community to reflect on where additional activity and focus is needed. It is an important moment to see what further progress we can make together on pandemic preparedness.”
Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI:
“Delivering the 100 Days Mission is at the heart of CEPI’s strategy to extinguish the existential threat of future pandemics. Our experience from the last three years tells us that this goal is in reach, but the endeavour must be shared across sectors and countries if it is to succeed. 2023 is a critical year for the 100 Days Mission as its momentum grows, so the IPPS’ Implementation Report is a valuable tool against which the world can track progress and identify remaining gaps. The 100 Days Mission is ambitious but with the right level of political will, investment and cross-sectoral collaboration it can help the world to stamp out the next Disease X before it reaches its pandemic potential.”
Thomas Cueni, Director General, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA)
“The biopharmaceutical industry’s response to COVID-19 shows how a thriving innovation environment, combined with swift access to pathogens and wide ranging partnerships involving public and private actors is essential for an effective and speedy response to a pandemic. We must build on what worked well in the current pandemic and we will continue to contribute our expertise and lessons learnt to making the 100DM ambition a reality.”
Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome Trust:
“2022 saw significant steps forward in the battle against infectious disease, including the creation of the Pandemic Fund, expansion of vaccine manufacturing in Africa and new funding for CEPI and the Global Fund. But we also saw new outbreaks of diseases such as mpox, cholera and ebola, the ongoing pandemics of TB, HIV, Malaria & Covid and the continued rise of drug resistant infections – important reminders of our shared global vulnerabilities and the dangers of neglect.
Covid-19 is not over and won’t be the last pandemic. We have to work together to better prepare for future outbreaks, increasing support for those who can deliver this, to ensure the world is never in this position again. This work must start now, be integrated into permanent systems that provide benefit all the time, while it is all still so fresh in our minds and we can summon up the political will to do it. There is no time to spare in making this aspiration a reality.”
Notes to Editors
Background to the 100 Days Mission:
-During the UK’s G7 presidency in 2021, the Carbis Bay leaders’ summit received a set of 25 recommendations to radically accelerate the process for developing, approving and making available vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics (VTDs) in an emergency. This has become known as the ‘100 day mission’ (100DM) – safely and sustainably reducing the time taken to develop and trial VTDs, and secure initial regulatory approval, to within 100 days of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) being officially declared. Whilst the 100 Day mission was endorsed by G7 Leaders under the UK G7 Presidency, it is not a G7 only endeavour. It was also supported by G20 leaders in Rome and Bali.
-To maintain momentum around the delivery of the 100 day mission, G7 scientific advisers called for the establishment of an independent International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat to maintain progress towards the 100 Days Mission. This has now been established and is being hosted, and funded by, the Wellcome Trust.
-The secretariat has been established as an independent entity with the intention of supporting the global implementation of the 100 day mission, with a renewed focus on ensuring pandemic tools are able to be deployed equitably as well as rapidly.
-The secretariat will provide annual implementation reports such as today’s report to track progress towards the achievability of the 100 day mission. As well as catalyse scientific exchange via the Science and Technology Exert Group (STEG), and when invited provide opportunity analyses to support prioritisation and continuity across rotating G7 and G20 presidencies.