The logistics and supply chain challenges of the distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine

The global number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has risen above 30 million.

As infections rise in Europe, the continent’s travel and tourism industry demands a common coronavirus testing system to replace national quarantine measures. Companies in the hospitality and leisure sectors around the world are asking for more government help to help them cope with dire economic consequences. Workers are growing weary of maintaining work-from-home mandates. And some nations, including England, are warning that there could be another round of lockdown measures this fall.

All of this has increased the importance and need for a coronavirus vaccine.

Many are in development, but it may still be months before one receives the final regulatory seal of approval. The Trump administration has said that once the FDA gives the green light, Americans could begin receiving vaccines within 24 hours.

But what about the rest of the world? Would the delivery be that fast? Are enough supplies needed to transport enough doses for the nearly 8 billion people living on this planet?

Thomas Cueni, Director General of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, responded to questions from Victoria Craig of the BBC in the global edition of the “Marketplace Morning Report.”

The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

Thomas Cueni: To put this in perspective, global vaccine production today, prior to COVID-19, is estimated at between 3 and 5 billion per year, which excludes the seasonal flu vaccine. And there hasn’t been a huge excess capacity because the vaccination programs, you know, for children, for the elderly, they continue. So what we’re talking about is really, at unprecedented speed, you needed to set up new manufacturing plants, you needed to scale, at the time when you don’t know yet whether your vaccine will work. And then you need to work on the logistics. So this is still one of the most challenging questions, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we encountered obstacles that we don’t even know about yet. For example, you need the syringes, not just the vials. Some organizations are currently doing a global vaccine preparation survey, because some countries, even among industrialized countries, may not really be up to the task of trying to immunize 80% more of their population because this has never been done. done in the past. .

Victoria Craig: Is there enough time to get those various components to where they need to be before a vaccine is ready for distribution?

Thomas Cueni: When I think about the remarkable features of today’s collaborative effort, everyone is talking to everyone else, and if a vaccine doesn’t work, you can bet that there will be glass vials available, that they will go to someone else. I’ve seen this in the treatment development area, where you’ve seen ads over the last two weeks from big companies offering their manufacturing capabilities to others like Pfizer, for example Gilead about remdesivir. Like Regeneron, for example, he signed with Roche.

We will have vaccines reaching our communities at different times. That is why I believe that we will be able to solve those logistical problems. It is overwhelming, and particularly in developing countries, but there one can benefit from the experience, the expertise of people like GAVI, the [Vaccine Alliance], or UNICEF, who have done it very successfully for their immunization programs. And we may see that, in reality, some countries where we will feel, “My God, they are so sophisticated,” may not be as well prepared as they think.

Victoria Craig: We also heard this week from the charity Oxfam, which warned that rich countries that make up 13% of the world’s population have claimed more than half of the promised doses of an eventual vaccine. But the question is, if local production increases in countries around the world where vaccines are more difficult to obtain, could that alleviate some of the problems related to inequality of distribution?

Thomas Cueni: You know, I share Oxfam’s goal to be fair, available and affordable around the world. I do not share your analysis. They put aside the vaccination capacity of India. Now India is one of the largest vaccine manufacturers in the world. China, for example, when you look at India and China, I expect both of them to be quite fast in terms of their vaccine programs. Around a third of the world’s population already has coverage there, and Oxfam has set it aside. True, one of our concerns is, for example, how to make sure that you also reach African countries. That is why the combination of high-income countries that purchase this solidarity service from COVAX is so important, as is the poorer countries that provide cross-subsidies. But at the same time, months ago, many people thought that Africa would be the region most exposed and most vulnerable to COVID-19. When we look at it, let’s say the United States has been much more affected. Many parts of Europe, parts of Latin America. One reason may be that the African population is much younger. One reason may be that they are better used to dealing with pandemics, but let’s just say it’s not the disaster that many people feared. [of] at first, but we really need to make sure that vaccines get to the people who need them.