GALVmed rolls out cost-sharing phase for FMD vaccine distribution in Eastern Africa

EAST AFRICA – The Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed) has launched the Distribution Cost-Share Phase for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccines in Eastern Africa, aiming to improve access to regionally-specific solutions for controlling the disease.

Starting on October 1, 2024, this phase is part of the ongoing AgResults FMD Vaccine Challenge Project. 

The project, which announced a key milestone on September 26 at the FAO headquarters in Rome, saw the registration of the first quadrivalent FMD vaccine developed specifically for the region. 

This vaccine was registered in August 2024.

Biopharma, a pharmaceutical company based in Morocco, became the first company to qualify as a competitor in the project by successfully registering the vaccine in one of the six target countries: Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, Burundi, Tanzania, and Kenya. 

Meeting the project’s Target Product Profile (TPP), Biopharma’s vaccine was designed to tackle FMD strains prevalent in the region. 

This achievement marked the formal launch of the Vaccine Distribution Cost-Share Phase of the project.

The AgResults FMD Vaccine Challenge Project, which began in February 2020, is an eight-year initiative with a budget of US$17.34 million. 

Managed by GALVmed, the project operates as a Pay-for-Results competition to encourage the development and uptake of high-quality quadrivalent vaccines tailored for the specific needs of Eastern African livestock.

The project is divided into two phases. 

During the Development Phase, manufacturers work on creating vaccines that meet the set criteria for regional relevance. 

Biopharma’s quadrivalent FMD vaccine successfully passed the necessary development and registration processes in Rwanda.

The current Distribution Cost-Share Phase aims to make vaccines more accessible by sharing the cost burden with buyers. 

This mechanism is intended to reduce the cost per dose for public and private sector actors, increasing the availability of effective vaccines and aiding efforts to combat FMD in the region.

At the recent launch event, representatives from the AgResults donor Steering Committee, the AgResults Secretariat, and GALVmed discussed the progress of the project over the past four years, acknowledging the importance of reaching this stage in the initiative.

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