There is a global lack of preparedness and reactive responses when confronted with emerging epidemic threats, a concerning lack of investment in the R&D vaccine and therapeutics pipeline, and signs of waning focus on pandemic preparedness, according to a new report by the International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat (IPPS).
The IPPS launched its third annual report on the 100 Days Mission (100DM) for pandemic preparedness at the Accademia dei Lincei in Rome on Wednesday.
The report assesses how much progress has been made toward ensuring the global availability of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines (DTVs) within the first 100 days of a pandemic threat. It also evaluates progress toward 100 Days Mission target of two antiviral therapies for each high-risk viral family, ready for Phase II/III clinical trials by 2026.
“In 2021, a group of G7 scientific advisors and experts came together to set out the recommendations that would form the basis of the 100DM,” explained 100DM outgoing chair Sir Patrick Vallance in the report’s introduction.
“Since then, the world has changed. We are no longer in the throes of a global pandemic; world leaders are dealing with multiple competing crises, and the global health landscape appears increasingly complex as organisations grapple with optimally prioritising limited funds and contend with multiple needs and threats. But we know that future epidemics and pandemics are not just likely; they are inevitable.”