AgResults Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine Challenge initiative for Eastern Africa

Our next webinar will be about the AgResults Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Vaccine Challenge Project. Our speakers will be Nina Henning and Dr Jef Hammond from GALVmed, and the session will be chaired by Professor Brian Perry.

Details

• Title: AgResults Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine Challenge initiative for Eastern Africa.
• When: Thursday 21 April, 12:00 noon UK time.
• Platform: Zoom.

Register

Abstract 

One of the most infectious livestock diseases in the world, Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) presents a constant global threat to animal trade and country economies. To assist control measures, the global clustering of FMD viruses has been divided into 7 virus pools, where multiple serotypes occur but within which are topotypes that remain mostly confined to that pool. This clustering of viruses suggests that if vaccination is to be a major tool for control, each pool could benefit from the use of tailored/more specific vaccine formulations relevant to the topotypes present in that pool.

The AgResults Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Vaccine Challenge Project (the “Project”) is an eight-year, US$17.68 million prize competition that supports the development and uptake of high-quality quadrivalent FMD vaccines tailored to meet the needs of Eastern Africa (EA). The prize is structured as a cost-share that reduces the cost-per-dose for buyers, enabling public and private sector actors to better combat FMD through more consistent purchases of the new vaccines.

The Project targets the following ‘Pool four’ countries: Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda; and aims to achieve three objectives:

1) Development and registration of high-quality FMD vaccines tailored for the needs of EA

2) Increased vaccine production and regional purchases to create greater market stability and reduce price

3) Development of a private sector model for buying and distributing FMD vaccines to complement public sector efforts

In this webinar, the presenters will discuss the unique approach enabling this regionally targeted FMD vaccine initiative. After introducing the Project and progress-to-date, the presenters will describe the main challenges that have been identified to date in terms of authorizing harmonized and epidemiologically relevant FMD vaccines in the wider EA region, and how the Project is helping to overcome these challenges. The ability to demonstrate the epidemiological relevance of vaccines using the Eastern Africa Foot and Mouth Disease Virus Reference Antigen Panel developed by the World Reference Laboratory for FMD and other partners, will be highlighted.

To deliver on the Project’s third goal, the Project team developed a Public Private Partnership (PPP) Framework that highlights the landscape, challenges, and opportunities of PPPs in the FMD vaccine value chain in EA - from production, purchasing, distribution, delivery, and vaccinations to post-vaccination monitoring. To build the framework, the Project team conducted outreach to more than 140 key stakeholders - from both public and private sectors - in EA and beyond. The team is now identifying opportunities to promote the PPP Framework in target countries, hoping that it can be further developed into appropriate commitments between partners.

For more information about the Project, please visit the AgResults and/or GALVmed websites: https://agresults.org/projects/fmd-vaccine and www.galvmed.org/foot-and-mouth-project

Biographies 

Nina Henning, Team Lead, AgResults Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Vaccine Challenge Project - Consultant

I manage the AgResults FMD Vaccine Challenge Project, an initiative to support the development and commercialisation of affordable, high-quality FMD vaccines for Eastern Africa, enabling small-scale producers to access the vaccines they need to keep their livestock healthy and their livelihoods secure. I have 20 years of project management and social enterprise leadership experience in Africa and South Asia across multinational, SME, nonprofit and investment entities. My professional passion lies in leveraging private sector approaches and efficiencies to drive transformative social impact. Prior to joining GALVmed, I spent eight years with American multinational SC Johnson, leading the development and commercialisation of innovative social businesses that deliver low-cost malaria preventative products to rural consumers in sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr Jeffrey Hammond, FMD Industry Expert, GALVmed

Currently the FMD Industry Expert for the AgResults Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Vaccine Challenge Project, Dr Hammond is a recognized global expert in prevention and control of transboundary animal diseases whose past experience includes: Head of the World Reference Laboratory for FMD at the Pirbright Laboratory; Co-Founder of the Global FMD Research Alliance (GFRA); Institute Director and Director of Science and Research for the Biosecurity and Food Safety Branch of the NSW DPI, and Vice-President of the Scientific Commission for Animal Diseases at the OIE, Paris. Dr Hammond holds an Honours Degree in Immunology and a PhD in the Molecular Virology of African Swine Fever Virus. He has published more than 80 scientific papers, reports and book chapters and is inventor on two international patents.