Two years of COVID-19: lessons the pandemic taught about delivering essential vaccines

In an article for Pharmaceutical Technology, healthcare reporter Darcy Jimenez explores the lessons of COVID-19 for the supply and distribution of essential vaccines – drawing on insights from an interview with the Access to Medicine Foundation's Margo Warren.

Margo, who is Head of Policy at the Foundation, said pharmaceutical companies have had to “think outside the box” in response to COVID-19. “All of a sudden, they needed to augment supply in a way that was quite unprecedented, and think of solutions for how to actually do this," she said.

The article highlights some of the key takeaways identified during the Foundation's recent Amsterdam Session on Global Health Security, such as the need for a shift from a "just-in-time" to a "just-in-case" approach on both the manufacturing and procurement sides.

Bringing in other expert voices, Jimenez also delves into the role of local manufacturing and tech transfers in low- and middle-income countries, and raises the question of whether the lessons and insights of the last two years will have a lasting impact.

“In the context of Covid-19, we’ve seen some positive examples of companies thinking about this more strategically and earlier on,” Margo said, adding: "I’m hopeful that the issues that have been raised about health equity will translate to other disease areas.”

Read the full article on the Pharmaceutical Technology website.

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