Vaccines and global collaboration in the age of COVID-19

As the world reacts to the vaccine breakthrough by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech, Asia House is convening leading industry figures from global health and policy to explore international efforts to produce a COVID-19 vaccine. Held in partnership with Pfizer, the roundtable will highlight the role of global collaboration in fighting a pandemic that has cost more than one million lives and hammered economic growth worldwide; the World Bank has forecast a 5.2 per cent contraction in global GDP because of the virus.

In the battle to safeguard populations and restart economies, the hunt to develop a safe and effective vaccine is central to international efforts. United behind this common goal, businesses, research institutes and governments have come together to collaborate and cooperate in new and innovative ways, spurring the development of a COVID-19 vaccine at record speeds. With nine vaccine candidates already in Phase 3 and conducting large scale efficacy trials, this rapid development demonstrates the innovative capacity of the global healthcare sector.

Beyond vaccine development, this crisis has forced into view the need to consider future pandemic preparedness and the crucial role that vaccination can play throughout a person’s life beyond infancy, particularly among the most vulnerable in society, such as older adults and people with chronic conditions. COVID-19 has highlighted the devastating impact of infectious disease on society – against this backdrop, it is even more important for stakeholders across the health ecosystem to take steps to future-proof against unforeseen global health crises.

This webinar, organised by Asia House in partnership with Pfizer, will bring together key stakeholders to discuss collaboration across the healthcare system that has emerged and strengthened in the age of COVID-19.

SPEAKERS

• Janine Small, Regional President of International Developed Markets – Vaccines Division, Pfizer
• Tim Colley, International Director, Vaccine Task Force, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
• Heidi Larson, Director, Vaccine Confidence Project, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
• Dr. Masaru Iwasaki, Program Director of AMED Project for Advanced Drug Discovery and Development and the Vice President of University of Yamanashi
• Michael Lawrence, Chief Executive, Asia House (moderator)