Overview

The greater the experience level, the greater the potential for developing a vaccine rapidly and the lower the development risks.  A small number of developers and manufacturers have the most experience with use of platforms and would have what is defined as “Established Platforms”, but not all regions are represented by those developers and manufacturers.  In addition, it is expected that there will be new platforms that are developed and could lead to even greater advances in pandemic readiness and response (e.g. improved scalability or thermostability, single-dose, etc.), so investments should not be limited to those platforms with which we already have experience. 

There are many principles in use for evaluation of Proposals that are submitted in response to CEPI’s Calls for Proposals for developmental vaccines.  A few additional principles should be considered, related to use of vaccine platforms, as summarized below.

During a Pandemic

• Investment should prioritize use of platforms in the following order, to improve the chances of responding rapidly while minimizing risks:  Established, Designated, and Potential. Note that platform used is only one characteristic among many others (i.e. safety, efficacy, quality, manufacturability, dose regimen, supply chain, storage conditions, etc.) to be considered in the investment strategy.

• The number of platforms and products supported in each region should be strategically determined to maximize the statistical power of the studies being performed and reduce competition for test subjects, particularly once initial vaccines become available and anyone who is interested in being vaccinated gets vaccinated.  Fewer, larger, high-potential products should be supported rather than many, smaller products with unknown potential.

Before a Pandemic

• The end goal of research and development investments in platform development should be to advance a few specific product platforms all the way through validation, licensure, and use.   Investment decisions beyond Phase 1 proof-of-concept studies on a potential platform should consider the feasibility of validation and licensure of the product for which the platform is used. 

• Development of designated platforms (at a minimum), that could include platforms that are developed and implemented in the Global South or developed in the Global North and transferred to the Global South for implementation, are needed to promote vaccine equity during future pandemics.   

• Investment in a few high-risk/high reward projects could help address some weaknesses in existing platforms and improve global access.