Emphasis on 'Establishing a Global Vaccine Hub' to Address Vaccine Shortage
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Kim Kang-lip, Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), attended the 1st World Local Production Forum (WLPF) Geneva meeting in Switzerland, hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO), remotely on the 22nd, emphasizing that "even if the COVID-19 situation improves, discussions on securing access to medicines such as local production and technology transfer must continue."
The World Local Production Forum is a consultative body that discusses local production and technology transfer measures to ensure equitable access to vaccines, medical products, and technologies. It started this year and is held biennially.
At this forum, Commissioner Kim spoke as a speaker in the regulatory systems sector, proposing changes and directions that the international community should pursue to enhance access to medical products and technologies during the COVID-19 situation. He announced cooperation and support measures from regulatory authorities related to this. The session was attended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), African Union, India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), Ghana Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), among others.
Commissioner Kim emphasized international cooperation between WHO and medicine regulatory agencies for COVID-19 response, expansion of local production capacity to resolve supply imbalances of medical products, and establishment of a global vaccine hub to address vaccine shortages.
He then shared Korea’s experience in organizing a response system to overcome difficulties during the COVID-19 crisis, including ▲reallocation of personnel such as COVID-19 review organizations and national lot release approval departments ▲preparing alternatives for on-site inspections suspended due to overseas travel restrictions ▲and revising procedures to prevent delays in drug development caused by clinical trial delays.
Commissioner Kim stated, "Discussions on securing access to medicines such as local production and technology transfer must continue to protect human health," adding, "The MFDS will strive to actively play a role in future discussions for regulatory harmonization and international cooperation."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
