A Global Vaccine Alliance to Combat Emerging Infectious Diseases

With the rise of global health threats like COVID-19, the development and distribution of vaccines have become a crucial frontline defense. Despite their importance, vaccines are often not the first line of action in a new pandemic due to the time it takes to create, test, and confirm their safety. In these gaps, simpler health measures like wearing masks and social distancing offer some level of protection. But as climate change influences disease spread and international travel continues to grow, respiratory diseases are likely to strike more often and with greater impact. Addressing this, a new proposal for an international pool of pre-developed vaccine candidates, known as InterVax™, emerges as a critical step forward. This idea, supported by worldwide collaboration and shared resources, is aimed at preparing for and rapidly responding to future health crises.

In an unprecedented global health initiative, a team led by Professor Weikuan Gu, along with Lan Yao, Hiam Chemaitelly, Emanuel Goldman, and others, have proposed forming InterVax™, as detailed in their recent publication in eClinicalMedicine. This proposed pool is dedicated to fighting potential highly infectious respiratory diseases and represents a transformative approach to pandemic preparedness, highlighting the urgent need for joint efforts in combating emerging infectious threats.

Professor Weikuan Gu and his colleagues believe that the current speed of developing vaccines is too slow to effectively combat the rapid spread of such diseases. They propose a proactive strategy to create a repository of vaccine candidates ready for rapid deployment in response to new threats.

Professor Weikuan Gu emphasizes, “The mission of international vaccine pool InterVax™ is to build a foundation to accelerate the development of vaccines against potential future respiratory infectious disease pandemic threats so vaccines can be accessible to any people in need.” This highlights InterVax™’s goal to combine resources, knowledge, and technologies from around the world, fostering a collaborative environment for vaccine development.

This initiative will focus on gathering information about known viruses and developing potential vaccines, which will be initially tested for safety using animal models. The aim is to ensure that effective vaccines are available to everyone, particularly in areas most at risk of outbreaks.

A key feature of this proposal is its focus on international cooperation and fairness. Professor Gu further explains, “The international vaccine pool will operate independently, but its collaboration with existing vaccine research and production organizations will be enhanced by potential resources from WHO and CDCs from various countries.” This approach ensures that the benefits of vaccine development are shared globally, addressing the disparities often seen in healthcare access.

By having pre-tested vaccine candidates, the response time in the face of a new pandemic could be drastically shortened, potentially saving many lives. This approach also promises to lessen the economic impact of pandemics, enabling quicker recovery for societies and economies. The establishment of InterVax™ is not just a necessity for science and medicine, but also a moral duty. It represents a commitment to global health security, ensuring that all countries, regardless of their economic status, have access to life-saving vaccines during crises. This initiative could mark a turning point in how the world prepares for and responds to future pandemics, emphasizing unity, readiness, and shared responsibility in protecting global health.

JOURNAL REFERENCE

Lan Yao, Hiam Chemaitelly, Emanuel Goldman, et al., “Time to establish an international vaccine candidate pool for potential highly infectious respiratory disease: a community’s view”, eClinicalMedicine, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102222.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS