Gavi;COVAX

Question 1

What is COVAX?

Answer 1

• COVAX is one of three pillars of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, which was launched in April 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission and France
• Garib lokanna pan vaccine milel yasathi ughadala.
• co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organisation (WHO)
• COVAX facility continually monitors the Covid-19 vaccine landscape to identify the most suitable vaccine candidates, based on scientific merit and scalability, and works with manufacturers to incentivise them to expand their production capacity

Question 2

What is ACT Accelerator?

Answer 2

• framework for collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to Covid-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. It is built on three main pillars: Vaccines (COVAX), Therapeutics, Diagnostics.

Question 3

What is Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance?

Answer 3

Created in 2000, Gavi is an international organisation - a global Vaccine Alliance, bringing together public and private sectors with the shared goal of creating equal access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world’s poorest countries.

Its core partners include the WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In June 2019, the Gavi Board approved a new five-year strategy (‘Gavi 5.0’) with a vision to ‘leave no-one behind with immunisation’ and a mission to save lives and protect people’s health by increasing equitable and sustainable use of vaccines.

Question 4

What is Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations(CEPI)?

Answer 4

• global partnership launched in 2017 to develop vaccines to stop future epidemics.
• was founded in Davos (Switzerland) by the governments of Norway and India, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and the World Economic Forum.

Question 5

What is TRIPS agreement?

Answer 5

• Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) which came into force from 1st January 1995.
• lays down minimum standards for protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in member countries which are required to promote effective and adequate protection of intellectual property rights with a view to reducing distortions and impediments to international trade.

Question 6

What is Compulsory licensing?And where can it be used?

Answer 6

-Compulsory licensing is an “involuntary contract” issued by the national government between
a “willing buyer” or local manufacturer and an “unwilling seller” or patent holder foreign company.

-This is an extreme step available
with India if rich countries go for
advance purchase and hoarding of
a COVID-19 vaccine produced in
India by multinational pharma
companies and deny India’s supply needs

Question 7

Update?

Answer 7

Feb 25 -> Ghana first country to receive vaccine under COVAX