Caribbean and Latin American countries are set to receive a boost in their manufacturing capacities to increase the safe and timely access to vaccines through a fund valued at C$ 15 million from the Government of Canada and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

The fund which is provided by Global Affairs Canada (GAC), PAHO will reinforce its current work to enhance the existing regional vaccine production capacities, including the manufacturing of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against COVID-19 and other diseases.

PAHO’s director Dr Jarbas Barbosa said that “The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the severe impact of unequal access to vaccines and other health technologies.”

“We thank Canada for supporting PAHO in this effort to expand and develop regional production capacities for medical products – an objective that is at the heart of our strategy to end the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and a key step towards achieving universal access to health,” he added.

Barbosa discussed the collaboration during a visit to PAHO headquarters by Jason Tolland, Director General for South America and Inter-American Affairs at GAC.

“Canada is looking forward to the implementation of its $15M support to PAHO’s COVID-19 Vaccine Manufacturing Platform to strengthen vaccine production capacities in Latin America and the Caribbean,” Tolland said.

“Canada is committed to addressing barriers to equitable access of vaccines by supporting regional manufacturing initiatives in low- and middle-income countries. We recognize the enormous potential of initiatives that promote local ownership and enable regions to address their own needs, not only for COVID-19 but also for other diseases.”

The Latin American and Caribbean region imports six times more pharmaceuticals than it exports, leaving it vulnerable to fluctuations in global supply, particularly during emergencies.

During the first years of the pandemic, severe shortages of COVID-19 vaccines heightened the need to rapidly increase regional production.

The new initiative supported by the Government of Canada will promote activities to foster an enabling environment for regional vaccine production, including the promotion of greater coordination across countries and public and private partners, and the strengthening of national regulatory systems and policies.