mRNA Technology Transfer Programme moves to the next phase of its development

By Estudio Chaloupka

International participants working with the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme met in Cape Town for their first face-to-face meeting. Joined by World Health Organization (WHO) Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the meeting reviewed the progress since WHO and Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) launched it in June 2021.

The meeting participants include partners from countries like Argentina, leading experts, industry, civil society representatives, and funders. During the five-day meeting, participants shared progress and discussed critical enablers for the sustainability of the Programme such as intellectual property issues and regulatory aspects, as well as the science of mRNA technologies and key applications relevant to LMICs in other disease areas.

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored that gross inequity exists in access to health products, especially vaccines. As of March 2023, more than three years after WHO declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), 69.7% of the global population had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Notably, this proportion still remains below 30% in low-income countries (LICs) .

This Programme aims to contribute to equitable access to mRNA vaccines by increasing the distribution of sustainable manufacturing capacity across LMICs, enhancing regional and inter-regional collaborations, and developing and empowering a local workforce through tailored and inclusive training and expert support. What is unique in the mRNA Technology Transfer model is the multilateral process that allows sharing of technologies to multiple recipients so that through local and regional production those in need can be reached rapidly.