KAPI WEEKLY BRIEF: 15TH – 19TH FEBRUARY 2021

Executive Summary

The Kenya Association of Pharmaceutical Industry (KAPI) is a membership organization, established in the late 1960s, representing biopharmaceutical manufacturers (or their local representatives) that through research invent and develop medicines and technologies (e.g., Biopharmaceuticals, Vaccine Healthcare, Medical devices, Diagnostics) that significantly improve people’s lives. KAPI represents the industry voice and promotes efficiency in the pharmaceutical industry to ensure that medical products and healthcare technologies of the highest quality can be readily available for diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases.

Weekly Brief:

This is a roundup of news allied to the biopharmaceutical industry with a bearing on our mission to improve access to lifesaving health products and technologies for positive health outcomes.

  • Novavax committed additional COVID-19 vaccine doses to COVAX for distribution to low and middle income countries bringing the total tally to 1.1B doses. (Endpoint News)
  • The USA plans to contribute $4 billion to COVAX in efforts to support vaccination in low income countries but has plans to control shipping of locally manufactured vaccines until the nation’s demands are met. (Bloomberg)
  • Pfizer Inc. plans to roll out a clinical trial for a booster to its vaccine shot in South Africa in response to the spreading more contagious variant. (Reuters). This follows laboratory studies that showed the S. African variant could reduce antibody protection from the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine (Reuters)
  • Two Canadian researchers have urge for delay in administration of the second shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine which should be administered three to four weeks after the first one in efforts to extend supply to more people. (BioSpace)
  • Pfizer plans to roll out clinical trials of its vaccine in pregnant women in efforts to get data for improved care and protection for this sub-population in response to COVID-19. (NBC News)
  • The European Union launched the “HERA Incubator” as a blueprint for long-term health emergencies and a way to stop COVID-19 mutations. The incubator is set to receive €30 million from Horizon 2020. (Open Access Government)
  • The US National Institute for Health has reported that a new study, IMPAACT 2032, will analyze remdesivir in pregnant women to whom it has been prescribed for management of COVID-19 (Clinical Trials Arena)
  • WHO seeks $1.96 billion for the 2021 Strategic Plan for COVID-19 response following last year’s initial plan that outlined the path that countries should take to suppress transmission of the new coronavirus. (UN)
  • Africa is getting ready to roll out COVID-19 vaccines as reported by WHO African Regional representative Dr Moeti (WHO Africa)
  • MSF calls on wealthy nations & biopharmaceutical companies for immediate and equitable distribution of affordable and the right COVID-19 vaccines to Southern African countries. (MSF)
  • A new study looks at the probable benefit of probiotics in the management of COVID-19 given the emergence of new variants & broad spectrum of clinical disease witnessed with COVID-19. (News Medical)
  • Johnson & Johnson filed for approval of its vaccine in EU with decision probable by the middle of March according to drug regulators (Medical Xpress)
  • A research team have developed a machine learning solution aimed at identifying probable treatments for COVID-19 from those already in the market based on the disease profile and aging. (Health Europa)
  • The WHO approved AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use (Wall Street Journal)
  • World Trade Organization (WTO) appoints Ngozi Okonjo Iweala as the Organizations 7th Director General (WTO)

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