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Business Recorder
4 days ago
- Health
- Business Recorder
Pakistan's vaccine independence: a national imperative
Pakistan stands at a critical crossroads in public health policy. With seven million births annually and a population growth rate of 2.55%, our nation faces an unprecedented challenge in vaccine security that demands immediate and decisive action. The looming withdrawal of GAVI support by 2031 presents not just a crisis, but an opportunity to transform Pakistan into a self-reliant pharmaceutical powerhouse. The stark reality we face The numbers paint a sobering picture of our current vulnerability. Pakistan's complete dependency on donated and discounted vaccine supplies, supported by GAVI, UNICEF, and WHO to the tune of PKR 26 billion annually, masks a deeper structural weakness. When GAVI's support ends in 2031, the financial burden will balloon to PKR 100 billion annually as nearly four times our current federal health budget of PKR 27 billion. This dependency is not merely financial; it represents a fundamental threat to national health security. This isn't just underdevelopment—it's a systematic surrender of national health autonomy. Today, Pakistan produces virtually no antigens for the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) vaccines domestically. We lack essential seed banks, have minimal university-based vaccine development programs, and operate with regulatory guidelines that are inadequate for sophisticated vaccine manufacturing. Our clinical trial expertise remains severely limited, creating bottlenecks in bringing locally developed vaccines to market. The contrast with global pharmaceutical leaders is stark. While universities worldwide have been the birthplace of revolutionary vaccines-from the Hepatitis B vaccine developed at UC San Francisco to the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine-Pakistan's academic institutions remain largely disconnected from commercial vaccine production. Learning from global success stories International experience offers valuable lessons. India transformed itself into the 'pharmacy of the world' through strategic government support for generic manufacturing and robust regulatory frameworks. Singapore built a biomedical hub through integrated research, manufacturing, and regulatory excellence that attracted billions in global pharmaceutical investment. South Korea's government-industry partnerships created world-class biopharmaceutical capabilities. These success stories share common elements: sustained government commitment, strategic investment in infrastructure, regulatory excellence, and comprehensive talent development programs. Most importantly, they demonstrate that with the right approach, developing nations can achieve pharmaceutical self-sufficiency and even become global exporters. The Triple Helix solution The path forward requires unprecedented coordination between government, academia, and industry -what experts call the 'Triple Helix' approach. Each sector must play a distinct yet interconnected role in building national vaccine capacity. Government leadership is essential in creating policy frameworks that incentivize domestic production while providing funding for university research. Strategic assignments to national research institutions like the National Institute of Health, Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB), National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), International Centre for Chemical and Biological sciences (ICCBS), Karachi University, Department of Biotechnology, Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), etc., can accelerate vaccine development and establish crucial seed banks. Most critically, the government must develop a comprehensive national health security strategy that positions vaccine self-sufficiency as a matter of national defense. The regulatory transformation cannot be understated. Pakistan's Drug Regulatory Authority must achieve WHO Level 3 qualification and create 'regulatory sandboxes — collaborative environments where university researchers, industry partners, and regulatory experts jointly develop guidelines for the 13 critical EPI vaccine antigens. Fast-track approval pathways and clear regulatory roadmaps will accelerate the journey from laboratory research to commercial production. Formation of sandboxes by bringing together leaders of the University, Regulatory and Industry. Universities must step up as innovation engines. Institutions with BSL-III laboratories should lead development of live attenuated vaccines, while biotechnology departments focus on recombinant vaccine technologies. Specialized vaccine research centers, industry-relevant curricula, and technology transfer offices will bridge the gap between academic discovery and commercial application. State-of-the-art pilot manufacturing facilities will provide proof-of-concept capabilities essential for scaling innovations. Industry brings manufacturing excellence and market expertise to the equation. Private sector partners can transform academic research into GMP-compliant commercial production, establish robust supply chains for raw materials, and navigate complex regulatory approvals. Their distribution networks and market access capabilities will ensure that domestically produced vaccines reach every corner of Pakistan. Leading companies in Pakistan already in the field of Biopharmaceutical manufacturing must be involved in the development process. A realistic implementation roadmap Success requires a phased approach spanning six years. The foundation phase (Years 1-2) must establish policy frameworks and coordination mechanisms while launching capacity-building programmes. Infrastructure development (Years 2-4) involves scaling laboratory manufacturing capabilities, establishing vaccine testing facilities, and launching pilot production programs. The scale-up phase (Years 4-6) transitions to commercial production of EPI vaccines, regulatory approvals, and distribution network establishment. Finally, the optimization phase (Year 6+) expands manufacturing capabilities, develops advanced biologics production, and positions Pakistan as a regional pharmaceutical hub. Financial innovation will be crucial. Blended financing models combining public funding, private investment, and support from institutions like the Islamic Development Bank can mobilise the substantial capital required for drug substance manufacturing facilities. The initial investment may be significant, but the long-term savings and export potential far outweigh the costs. The economic and strategic imperative The benefits extend far beyond health security. A robust domestic vaccine industry could create over 5,000 jobs and reduce import dependency by 50 percent. More importantly, it would establish Pakistan as a regional pharmaceutical hub with significant export potential to neighboring countries and the broader Islamic world. The Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated the critical importance of pharmaceutical self-reliance. Nations with domestic production capabilities could respond rapidly to their populations' needs, while others waited months for external supplies. This lesson cannot be ignored as we face an uncertain global health landscape. The time for action is now Pakistan's demographic dividend — with 65 percent of the population under 30 — represents an unprecedented opportunity to build a knowledge-based pharmaceutical sector. However, this window will not remain open indefinitely. The GAVI deadline of 2031 provides a clear timeline for action, but preparation must begin immediately. The success of this transformation depends on political will, sustained investment, and most importantly, recognition that vaccine self-sufficiency is not a luxury but a national security imperative. Countries that fail to develop domestic pharmaceutical capabilities will remain perpetually vulnerable to supply disruptions, price volatility, and foreign policy pressures. A call to national action The establishment of National and Provincial Coordination Committees bringing together leaders from academia, industry, and regulatory agencies represents the essential first step. This must be followed by a comprehensive assessment of current capabilities, development of a detailed national vaccine strategy, and launch of pilot programmes for immediate impact. Pakistan has the intellectual capital, institutional foundation and market potential to achieve vaccine independence. What we need now is the collective will to transform this potential into reality. The health and prosperity of future generations depend on the decisions we make today. The choice is clear: remain dependent on the goodwill of international donors or invest in building a self-reliant pharmaceutical sector that serves not only Pakistan's needs but positions the nation as a leader in global health innovation. The Triple Helix approach offers a proven pathway to pharmaceutical independence-we must have the courage to take it. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Egypt Today
22-05-2025
- Health
- Egypt Today
Egypt's Health Min., GAVI chairman talk expanding vaccine manufacturing
Vaccines - file CAIRO - 22 May 2025: Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population, Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, met with Mr. José Manuel Barroso, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI), and a number of GAVI representatives, to discuss implementing mechanisms that contribute to expanding vaccine manufacturing. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva. Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, said in a statement released by the ministry that the meeting aimed to exchange ideas and visions on implementing policies that would expand the promotion of vaccine manufacturing in Egypt and African countries, as well as to discuss mechanisms for expanding vaccination and primary healthcare services. He added that the two sides discussed cooperation to enhance expanded immunization programs, as well as exchanging ideas to improve primary healthcare systems. They also agreed to cooperate between Egypt and Gavi to ensure equitable access to vaccinations in Africa and the Middle East and North Africa region. The meeting was attended by Dr. Amr Kandil, Deputy Minister of Health and Population; Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (Gavi); and Dr. Richard Mihigo, Director of Programmatic and Strategic Engagement with the African Union and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bill Gates Will Close Gates Foundation by 2045, Give Fortune to Global Health
Bill Gates at The 11th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony held at Barker Hanger on April 5, 2025 in Santa Monica, Calif. Credit - Gilbert Flores/Variety—Getty Images So far, 2025 has been a terrible year for global health. The Trump Administration is slashing funding to a number of international programs; closing down USAID, the government's major aid development arm; and withdrawing U.S. membership from the World Health Organization. But a glimmer of hope arrived on May 8, when Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, announced that he will be infusing the struggling field with most of his fortune—$200 billion, which he built after creating Microsoft—to be spent by 2045. He also plans to close down the foundation at that time. Since Gates and his former wife, Melinda French Gates, created the foundation 25 years ago, the organization has contributed more than $100 billion to global causes, primarily in health. The Gates Foundation helped to create two important international health organizations: GAVI, which provides the world's children with lifesaving vaccines, and the Global Fund, which focuses on distributing treatments for HIV, TB, and malaria. Gates' just-announced timeline represents an acceleration of foundation's timetable. When it was created, the board agreed to sunset the organization about 20 years after the Gates' deaths. Gates, who turns 70 this year, spoke with TIME about why he decided to speed up his plans. Over the last two years, I've been talking with [Gates Foundation CEO] Mark Suzman and the foundation board about this. And we decided to double down to get some infectious diseases either dramatically reduced or eradicated, which is exciting. It is ironic that the announcement ended up being at a time where the funding for global health is in incredible crisis because of a lot of cuts being made and some that are being discussed. This was not a response to that. But perhaps my commitment to give all of it away will remind people how important and how effective these dollars are, and the basic value of reducing childhood deaths. So it was late last year that I really put it to the board and talked about doubling down. In the two discussions I had with President Trump since he was elected—on Dec 27. and Feb. 5—he was quite supportive of our work in HIV and polio. It's Congress who will set the budget going forward, and historically, PEPFAR, which was created by President Bush [to provide HIV treatments] and GAVI had bipartisan support, and less than 1% of the U.S. budget goes to these things. Some of that funding has been cut off right now, in fact in a pretty abrupt way. We need to get Congress to weigh in. Read More: The 100 Most Influential People in Health I am hopeful that we can get a lot of that funding restored, but we do have challenges in a lot of rich countries where budgets are very tight, and they are under pressure to increase defense budgets. Over the next four years, we are likely to see an increase in childhood deaths for the first time since the turn of the century, and I am very dedicated to changing things to help us get back to making progress. We need rich world governments to restore some of this funding; we need more engagement by philanthropies to help out. And incredible innovations mean whatever money we have can be used even more effectively. Over [the next] 20-year period, I am actually quite optimistic, although we are in an awful emergency right now. The WHO is a key partner for us. In fact [WHO director general] Tedros [Ghebreyesus] was in Singapore with me on Tuesday, and we were talking about the reorganization he is going through and decisions he has made. WHO plays a big role in polio and most of the things we do in global health. Strangely, now that U.S. cut so much, the Gates Foundation is now the largest single donor to WHO. I don't think in the long run that's the way it should be. A big part of that is the work we do in polio, but we fund a dozen things at WHO. But I think eventually the U.S. will state whatever it wants to see changed and resume as a member, because in so many areas, WHO is critical, including whenever we have a potential pandemic. You know, we funded a lot of the improvement pandemic preparedness of the WHO based on lessons that came out of the COVID vaccine effort. I don't think the U.S. will go back in right away, but we'll be somebody to help broker a dialogue that eventually gets the U.S. back there, which think is valuable to the world and U.S. I would have guessed because the U.S. does have problems with the deficit, we might see a 15%-20% cut. I would have said, okay, we need to make sure we minimize the impact that has. I think it's ideal at this point that we get back to that. There are some proposals to Congress from the executive branch which would represent an almost 80% cut. That would be tragic. We are going to see deaths from children go up, and they have been going down at a record rate since 2000, from 10 million to under 5 million. We are going to see it go the wrong way, and that means millions of extra deaths. Some of the cut-offs have been quite abrupt. Read More: Medicaid Expansions Saved Tens of Thousands of Lives, Study Finds We will get a real gauge of this global health emergency in June in Brussels, for the five-year replenishment of GAVI: that entity we started in 2000 together with rich world governments to buy vaccines for the world's poorest children. The metric will be—can we raise as much as we raised five years ago, or will we be substantially below that? I have to tell you, right now, it looks pretty grim. Including getting the U.S. to buy these very inexpensive vaccines. These are $1 vaccines, and the majority of the reason we had reductions in deaths from around 10 million to five million is because of vaccines. To not be able to buy $1 vaccines when we are talking [about something] that is well under 1% of the U.S. budget, I think that's tragic. We will try to make the case, try keep the U.S. in HIV medicines, where they have been very generous, starting with President Bush. The Global Fund replenishment will come in the fall, and right now, it all looks like it could be a disaster. If you look at the breakdown of the foundation spending, which is just over $100 billion over the last 25 years, by far the biggest is in global health, with 35% creating new, low-cost tools and 35% helping to get those tools delivered. Next up is education, which is about 15%. That's always been something where because I got such a great education here in the U.S., I felt like we should try to make that available to every student. We have done a lot with charter schools, curriculums, and scholarships. Now, we are using AI to improve curricula. We are able to get graduation levels up. Agriculture is 8% of what we have done. The opportunity to make seeds more productive, and crops more nutritious either by improving seeds or doing food fortification by adding some micronutrients in later—that's super important work. Particularly in Africa where with population growth and climate change, the only way to help the poorest there—the majority of whom are farmers—is by improving their seeds and access to fertilizer. One of the most amazing programs we've done is taking chickens in Africa and used cross-breeding with highly productive chickens from Europe and the U.S. to get a lot more eggs. Now we have over 200 million chickens that have been delivered to women in Africa that both help nutritionally, and help them economically. It's a very exciting area. The agriculture work has as high impact as our health work. The progress in health is way beyond what I would have expected. Tens of millions of lives have been saved because of our work and through our partnerships—over 100 million lives. It's not just us. There has been a movement, and we have been a central part of that. In areas like education, we have done great things—graduation rates have gone up but not nearly as miraculous. I slightly expected us have more impact in education and I had no idea we we'd be able to have such incredible results in our health work. So we're learning all the time. We've got a pipeline of innovation that is far, far stronger than ever before. And we have AI that's going to supercharge that—both the discovery piece and the delivery piece. So I have pretty high expectations for the next 20 years, despite the funding emergency that we're in . Contact us at letters@
Time Magazine
08-05-2025
- Health
- Time Magazine
Bill Gates Will Close Gates Foundation by 2045, Give Fortune to Global Health
So far, 2025 has been a terrible year for global health. The Trump Administration is slashing funding to a number of international programs; closing down USAID, the government's major aid development arm; and withdrawing U.S. membership from the World Health Organization. But a glimmer of hope arrived on May 8, when Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, announced that he will be infusing the struggling field with most of his fortune—$200 billion, which he built after creating Microsoft—to be spent by 2045. He also plans to close down the foundation at that time. Since Gates and his former wife, Melinda French Gates, created the foundation 25 years ago, the organization has contributed more than $100 billion to global causes, primarily in health. The Gates Foundation helped to create two important international health organizations: GAVI, which provides the world's children with lifesaving vaccines, and the Global Fund, which focuses on distributing treatments for HIV, TB, and malaria. Gates' just-announced timeline represents an acceleration of foundation's timetable. When it was created, the board agreed to sunset the organization about 20 years after the Gates' deaths. Gates, who turns 70 this year, spoke with TIME about why he decided to speed up his plans. When did you start thinking about closing the foundation earlier than you previously planned? Over the last two years, I've been talking with [Gates Foundation CEO] Mark Suzman and the foundation board about this. And we decided to double down to get some infectious diseases either dramatically reduced or eradicated, which is exciting. It is ironic that the announcement ended up being at a time where the funding for global health is in incredible crisis because of a lot of cuts being made and some that are being discussed. This was not a response to that. But perhaps my commitment to give all of it away will remind people how important and how effective these dollars are, and the basic value of reducing childhood deaths. So it was late last year that I really put it to the board and talked about doubling down. It was also late last year, in December, that you had a three-hour dinner with now-President Trump, and you've said you were 'impressed' with his questions about polio and HIV. That discussion wasn't part of your consideration to accelerate your timeline? In the two discussions I had with President Trump since he was elected—on Dec 27. and Feb. 5—he was quite supportive of our work in HIV and polio. It's Congress who will set the budget going forward, and historically, PEPFAR, which was created by President Bush [to provide HIV treatments] and GAVI had bipartisan support, and less than 1% of the U.S. budget goes to these things. Some of that funding has been cut off right now, in fact in a pretty abrupt way. We need to get Congress to weigh in. Read More: The 100 Most Influential People in Health I am hopeful that we can get a lot of that funding restored, but we do have challenges in a lot of rich countries where budgets are very tight, and they are under pressure to increase defense budgets. Over the next four years, we are likely to see an increase in childhood deaths for the first time since the turn of the century, and I am very dedicated to changing things to help us get back to making progress. We need rich world governments to restore some of this funding; we need more engagement by philanthropies to help out. And incredible innovations mean whatever money we have can be used even more effectively. Over [the next] 20-year period, I am actually quite optimistic, although we are in an awful emergency right now. Given the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO, could the Gates Foundation play a bigger role in working with the WHO to fill in some of the funding gap? The WHO is a key partner for us. In fact [ WHO director general] Tedros [Ghebreyesus ] was in Singapore with me on Tuesday, and we were talking about the reorganization he is going through and decisions he has made. WHO plays a big role in polio and most of the things we do in global health. Strangely, now that U.S. cut so much, the Gates Foundation is now the largest single donor to WHO. I don't think in the long run that's the way it should be. A big part of that is the work we do in polio, but we fund a dozen things at WHO. But I think eventually the U.S. will state whatever it wants to see changed and resume as a member, because in so many areas, WHO is critical, including whenever we have a potential pandemic. You know, we funded a lot of the improvement pandemic preparedness of the WHO based on lessons that came out of the COVID vaccine effort. I don't think the U.S. will go back in right away, but we'll be somebody to help broker a dialogue that eventually gets the U.S. back there, which think is valuable to the world and U.S. How concerned are you by the current situation in global health, with the U.S. making such big cuts in its contributions? I would have guessed because the U.S. does have problems with the deficit, we might see a 15%-20% cut. I would have said, okay, we need to make sure we minimize the impact that has. I think it's ideal at this point that we get back to that. There are some proposals to Congress from the executive branch which would represent an almost 80% cut. That would be tragic. We are going to see deaths from children go up, and they have been going down at a record rate since 2000, from 10 million to under 5 million. We are going to see it go the wrong way, and that means millions of extra deaths. Some of the cut-offs have been quite abrupt. We will get a real gauge of this global health emergency in June in Brussels, for the five-year replenishment of GAVI: that entity we started in 2000 together with rich world governments to buy vaccines for the world's poorest children. The metric will be—can we raise as much as we raised five years ago, or will we be substantially below that? I have to tell you, right now, it looks pretty grim. Including getting the U.S. to buy these very inexpensive vaccines. These are $1 vaccines, and the majority of the reason we had reductions in deaths from around 10 million to five million is because of vaccines. To not be able to buy $1 vaccines when we are talking [about something] that is well under 1% of the U.S. budget, I think that's tragic. We will try to make the case, try keep the U.S. in HIV medicines, where they have been very generous, starting with President Bush. The Global Fund replenishment will come in the fall, and right now, it all looks like it could be a disaster. More studies are showing that making an impact on health requires addressing non-medical factors as well, and the Gates Foundation has supported programs in education and nutrition. How important will these be over the next 20 years? If you look at the breakdown of the foundation spending, which is just over $100 billion over the last 25 years, by far the biggest is in global health, with 35% creating new, low-cost tools and 35% helping to get those tools delivered. Next up is education, which is about 15%. That's always been something where because I got such a great education here in the U.S., I felt like we should try to make that available to every student. We have done a lot with charter schools, curriculums, and scholarships. Now, we are using AI to improve curricula. We are able to get graduation levels up. Agriculture is 8% of what we have done. The opportunity to make seeds more productive, and crops more nutritious either by improving seeds or doing food fortification by adding some micronutrients in later—that's super important work. Particularly in Africa where with population growth and climate change, the only way to help the poorest there—the majority of whom are farmers—is by improving their seeds and access to fertilizer. One of the most amazing programs we've done is taking chickens in Africa and used cross-breeding with highly productive chickens from Europe and the U.S. to get a lot more eggs. Now we have over 200 million chickens that have been delivered to women in Africa that both help nutritionally, and help them economically. It's a very exciting area. The agriculture work has as high impact as our health work. How well has the foundation addressed the goals and vision you set out when you created it 25 years ago? The progress in health is way beyond what I would have expected. Tens of millions of lives have been saved because of our work and through our partnerships—over 100 million lives. It's not just us. There has been a movement, and we have been a central part of that. In areas like education, we have done great things—graduation rates have gone up but not nearly as miraculous. I slightly expected us have more impact in education and I had no idea we we'd be able to have such incredible results in our health work. So we're learning all the time. We've got a pipeline of innovation that is far, far stronger than ever before. And we have AI that's going to supercharge that—both the discovery piece and the delivery piece. So I have pretty high expectations for the next 20 years, despite the funding emergency that we're in .
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Louisiana surgeon advocates for Foreign Aid Investment at Capitol Hill meeting
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Louisiana taxpayers should be assured that their money is not being 'thrown out the window,' but rather invested in developing countries, said Dr. Charles Caplis, a pediatric surgeon licensed in Louisiana and Mississippi. Dr. Caplis met with representatives from the ONE Campaign on Capitol Hill, where he advocated for the release of supplies and funding for foreign aid, emphasizing its importance as a doctor, parent, humanitarian, and Louisiana taxpayer. The ONE Campaign, a nonpartisan advocacy group, works to shape positive foreign policy and foreign assistance programs, with an eye on ensuring taxpayer dollars are used effectively. Dr. Caplis believes these programs not only benefit foreign nations but also serve the best interests of U.S. citizens. 'I believe that with the ONE Campaign being a nonpartisan advocacy group, they help to formulate and encourage positive foreign policy and foreign assistance programs where our taxpayer dollars are going,' said Dr. Caplis. According to the pediatric surgeon, critical resources like medicines, vaccines, and food are sitting unused on shelves, ready to expire, creating a waste of taxpayer money. He stressed that these supplies could be put to good use in global health initiatives, particularly in developing countries. 'That's a true waste of taxpayer money,' Dr. Caplis said. As a doctor, Caplis also recognizes the significance of vaccines in international health efforts. He pointed to ongoing programs like GAVI, which helps fight malaria in Africa but has been temporarily paused. He believes that supporting these efforts is not only morally important but also has a practical benefit in preventing disease outbreaks that could affect the U.S. 'By supporting these countries, particularly in outbreaks like malaria, we help keep the direct Louisiana taxpayer safer by not having those diseases come to U.S. soil,' he explained. Dr. Caplis' remarks come at a time when foreign aid programs face scrutiny and budget cuts. However, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, who was also approached for comment, expressed support for foreign aid that provides tangible benefits to people, particularly in nations vulnerable to diseases like malaria. Senator Cassidy noted that while he agrees with President Donald Trump on the importance of avoiding wasteful spending, he believes foreign aid programs that help people should continue. 'That so-called soft power — how do we go to Africa and benefit the Africans in such a way that when it comes to competing for natural resources that we need, that they have, they look upon the United States as a better partner than they look upon the Chinese, that's just one example,' said Cassidy. The senator also emphasized that certain foreign programs managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are still running effectively. He expressed confidence that the Trump administration will restore some of the foreign aid programs that had been previously terminated. Louisiana surgeon advocates for Foreign Aid Investment at Capitol Hill meeting Baton Rouge rapper NBA YoungBoy released from Alabama prison, taken to Arizona facility Alsen residents voice community concerns to councilmember, Mayor Sid Edwards Eight bridges in Louisiana deemed 'at risk' by national transportation board iPad submerged 5 years in London's River Thames helps unlock murder plot Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
