THE GLOBAL PICTURE OF COVID-19 VACCINE APPROVALS

THE GLOBAL PICTURE OF COVID-19 VACCINE APPROVALS

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WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE Friday, April 16, 2021 High-income country confirmed dose total: 4.7 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 1.5 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 731 million Low-income country total: 770 million COVAX total: 1.12 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 8.9 billion doses INSIGHTS The global picture of Covid-19 vaccine approvals Author: Blen Biru COVID-19 vaccines across the world have been produced and authorized for use with record speed. So far, 13 vaccines have received either limited or full regulatory approval. It’s important to note that the safety of the vaccines is continuously monitored even after limited and full regulatory approvals are granted. The recent post-approval regulatory revisions and suspensions of Oxford-AstraZeneca and J&J demonstrate the continuous monitoring efforts by regulatory bodies. To highlight the importance of regulatory…
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WILL CHICKEN EGGS CHANGE THE COVID-19 VACCINE LANDSCAPE?

WILL CHICKEN EGGS CHANGE THE COVID-19 VACCINE LANDSCAPE?

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WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE Friday, April 9, 2021 High-income country confirmed dose total: 4.6 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 1.5 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 721 million Low-income country total: 770 million COVAX total: 1.12 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 8.8 billion doses WEEKLY INSIGHTS Will chicken eggs change the Covid-19 vaccine landscape? Author: Andrea Taylor A promising new vaccine candidate is getting a flurry of attention this week, even in a very crowded landscape that includes 11 vaccines on the market and 50+ more in Phase 2 or 3 trials. The newcomer NDV-HXP-S vaccine, developed through collaborations between researchers at University of Texas at Austin, PATH, and Mount Sinai, among others, is a mouthful to say but the name captures the two reasons people are excited about it. NDV refers to the…
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THE CURIOUS CASE OF UPPER-MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES

THE CURIOUS CASE OF UPPER-MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES

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WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE FRIDAY, April 2, 2021 Data Updates High-income country confirmed dose total: 4.6 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 1.5 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 691 million Low-income country total: 670 million COVAX total: 1.12 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 8.6 billion doses Weekly Insights and Interesting Trends The curious case of upper-middle income countries Author: Andrea Taylor The global imbalance in Covid-19 vaccines is often framed in terms of wealthy versus poor countries. While it can be summed that way (wealthy countries do have the majority of doses, while low-income countries have almost none), this overlooks the experience of upper-middle income countries (UMICs), such as Brazil, Indonesia, and China. The challenges faced by UMICs are different than those faced by lower-middle and low-income countries. They…
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WILL INDIA’S EXPORT CONTROLS DOOM SUPPLY FOR LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES?

WILL INDIA’S EXPORT CONTROLS DOOM SUPPLY FOR LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES?

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WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2021 Data Updates High-income country confirmed dose total: 4.6 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 1.5 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 711 million Low-income country total: 670 million COVAX total: 1.12 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 8.6 billion doses Weekly Insights and Interesting Trends Will India’s export controls doom supply for low- and middle-income countries? Author: Andrea Taylor India’s announcement this week that it would halt exports of domestically produced Covid-19 vaccines in the short term seemed to take the world by surprise. It probably shouldn’t have. For months, India’s Covid-19 cases appeared to plateau. As wealthier countries dithered about donations and paused exports, India led the way on donations and was lauded for their significant part in supplying COVAX and lower-income countries. The Serum Institute of India…
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WHAT IS GOING ON WITH CANADA?

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH CANADA?

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WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2021 Data Updates Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines:  8.5 billion doses  High-income countries: 4.6 billion doses Upper-middle-income countries: 1.5 billion doses Lower-middle-income countries: 614 million Low-income countries: 670 million COVAX total: 1.12 billion  Weekly Insights and Interesting Trends Author: Andrea Taylor What is going on with Canada?  Canada followed the same vaccine procurement playbook as its wealthy peers, making early advance market purchases across a broad range of Covid-19 vaccine candidates. Between August and October 2020, Canada purchased doses from Pfizer, Moderna, Janssen (J&J), Oxford-AstraZeneca, Sanofi-GSK, and Medicago (a domestic company). In January, they added Novavax. With 500% coverage in confirmed purchases (going up to 600% when optioned doses are included), Canada defines the top of our population coverage graph.   But as we have seen over the past few months, vaccine purchases, vaccine deliveries, and vaccinations do not always track…
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COVID-19 VACCINES ARE FLOWING INTO THE PRIVATE SECTOR. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR EQUITY?

COVID-19 VACCINES ARE FLOWING INTO THE PRIVATE SECTOR. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR EQUITY?

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WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 2021 Data Updates High-income country confirmed dose total: 4.6 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 1.3 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 608 million Low-income country total: 670 million COVAX total: 1.12 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 14.7 billion doses Weekly Insights and Interesting Trends Author: Andrea Taylor COVID-19 vaccines are flowing into the private sector. What does this mean for equity? While the vast majority of Covid-19 purchases have been through the public sector, we have also seen some private sector deals. This appears to be increasing recently, as governments are partnering with private sector health providers to widen the reach of their vaccine rollouts. Back in 2020, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) was selling Sputnik V to private companies and…
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TODAY, WE CELEBRATE: THIS WEEK’S GOOD NEWS FOR GLOBAL EQUITY

TODAY, WE CELEBRATE: THIS WEEK’S GOOD NEWS FOR GLOBAL EQUITY

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WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021 Data Updates High-income country confirmed dose total: 4.6 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 1.3 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 597 million Low-income country total: 670 million COVAX total: 1.12 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 8.2 billion doses Weekly Insights and Interesting Trends Author: Andrea Taylor Today, we celebrate: This week’s good news for global equity There were two significant developments this week that are great news for Covid-19 vaccine equity. To be clear, the picture is still bleak: rich countries hold more than half of the vaccine purchased and don’t want to share until they’ve had their fill. More than 100 countries have not administered their first vaccinations, even while coverage passed 90% in Israel, 60% in the UAE, and…
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RHETORIC FIRST, ACTION LATER: THE G7 APPROACH TO GLOBAL EQUITY

RHETORIC FIRST, ACTION LATER: THE G7 APPROACH TO GLOBAL EQUITY

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WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021 Data Updates High-income country confirmed dose total: 4.6 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 1.3 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 631 million Low-income country total: 671 million COVAX total: 1.12 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 8.25 billion doses Weekly Insights and Interesting Trends Author: Andrea Taylor Rhetoric first, action later: the G7 approach to global equity The G7 countries met (virtually) on Friday, February 19, to share variants of “no one is safe until everyone is safe” and discuss the importance of global equity of Covid-19 vaccines and the need for international cooperation. (Sound familiar? That’s because we heard the same things from the G20 in November.) The countries together pledged another $7.5 billion in funding for COVAX (including the $4 billion that the US Congress set aside for…
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VACCINE HESITANCY WILL SOON BECOME THE PRIMARY OBSTACLE TO GLOBAL IMMUNITY

VACCINE HESITANCY WILL SOON BECOME THE PRIMARY OBSTACLE TO GLOBAL IMMUNITY

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WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2021 Data Updates High-income country confirmed dose total: 4.6 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 1.2 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 599 million Low-income country total: 670 million COVAX total: 1.12 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 8.2 billion doses Weekly Insights and Interesting Trends Author: Andrea Taylor Vaccine hesitancy will soon become the primary obstacle to global immunity Global manufacturing capacity has been the primary rate limiter for Covid-19 vaccinations. Our vaccine manufacturing infrastructure was not designed to produce enough doses to cover 70% of the world’s population within a year (in addition to regular and routine vaccines) and, as expected, demand is outstripping supply. There has been good news on the manufacturing front, however, with several large pharma companies recently joining with…
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COVAX RELEASED DRAFT ALLOCATIONS FOR THE FIRST HALF OF 2021

COVAX RELEASED DRAFT ALLOCATIONS FOR THE FIRST HALF OF 2021

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WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2021 Data Updates High-income country confirmed dose total: 4.2 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 1.2 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 582 million Low-income country total: 670 million COVAX total: 1.11 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 7.8 billion doses Weekly Insights and Interesting Trends Author: Andrea Taylor COVAX released draft allocations for the first half of 2021 The COVAX partnership released last week its first estimates of dose allocations for participating countries, covering planned deliveries from February through June. These are labeled as “indicative,” meaning the estimates are non-binding and subject to a list of caveats provided in both the distribution forecast and the supply update released in January. In fact, the language surrounding both documents seems on balance to contain more hedging than forecasting. This is…
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