Manila-based multilateral lender Asian Development Bank launched on Friday a $9-billion vaccine financing initiative to support developing countries in procuring and delivering coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines.
“As ADB’s developing members prepare to vaccinate their people as soon as possible, they need financing to procure vaccines as well as appropriate plans and knowledge to be able to safely, equitably, and efficiently manage the vaccination process,” ADB president Masatsugu Asakawa said in a statement.
The Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility (APVAX), Asakawa said, will play a critical role in helping developing member-countries overcome the pandemic and focus on economic recovery.
“APVAX promotes safe and effective vaccines to be accessed in a fair manner. For a vaccine to be eligible for financing, it must meet one of three criteria. It must be procured via COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility), prequalified by WHO (World Health Organization), or authorized by a Stringent Regulatory Authority.”
“Additional access criteria, such as a vaccination needs assessment, a vaccine allocation plan by the developing member, and a mechanism for effective coordination among development partners also help ensure that vaccine support under APVAX can be fairly and effectively implemented,” the lender added.
The ADB said more than 14.3 million positive cases have been identified in the Asia Pacific region, accounting for more than 200,000 deaths.
Low immune response leads to vaccine delay
France’s Sanofi and Britain’s GSK said Friday their COVID-19 vaccines will not be ready until the end of 2021, after interim results showed a low immune response in older adults.
The announcement is a huge setback in efforts to fight the pandemic, which emerged in China last December and has killed over 1.5 million people worldwide.
Sanofi and GSK said the delay in their adjuvanted recombinant protein-based COVID-19 vaccine program was to “improve immune response in older adults.”
The vaccine candidate, developed by Sanofi in partnership with GSK, is based on technology that Sanofi has used to produce seasonal influenza vaccines and on immunological agents developed by GSK.
US recommends Pfizer-BioNTech approval
US experts voted Thursday to recommend granting emergency approval for Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine, paving the way for America to become the next country to move ahead with mass immunization.
It comes as the worst-hit country in the world logged nearly 6,000 virus deaths in 48 hours and its overall toll was approaching 300,000.
With northern hemisphere countries hit by a pandemic winter surge, Britain this week became the first Western country to roll out the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Canada, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia have also approved it.
Independent experts convened by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted 17 in favor, four against, and with one abstention for emergency approval of the two-dose regimen in over-16s.
The vote is non-binding, but a formal emergency use authorization (EUA) is expected within days.
