The World Health Organization is leading the global charge to deliver two billion COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of 2021. This amazing challenge includes organizing more than 150 initiatives for various vaccines from all around the world. Beyond this, there are 5 billion adults in the world and assuming most COVID vaccines will require two doses per person, that leaves us with a global vaccine dose volume approaching 10 billion.
The Challenge
There are three main challenges to overcome to achieve this scale of manufactured vaccine and safe distribution and administration. The first is managing the tremendous complexity from clinical trials to manufacturing to supply chain, all with different paths to the same goal. The second major challenge is in the scalability of manufacturing the number of doses needed to inoculate the world’s population. And third, in addition to the speed that these vaccines can be manufactured, how is prioritization decided, and at what price points.
References:
- https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/12/covid-19-vaccines-emerge-global-waiting-game-begins
- https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/coronavirus-vaccine-tracker.html
- https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-vaccines-moderna/moderna-raises-2021-vaccine-output-forecast-to-at-least-600-million-doses-idUSKBN2991KH
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/katiejennings/2021/01/12/pfizer-biontech-boost-vaccine-production-goal-to-2-billion-doses-in-2021/?sh=6b9556cb48a5
A Critical Part of the Solution
Advanced analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) are realities today. While pharma has lagged technologically for many reasons, now is the time to harness the analytical power to increase efficiency and expediency while reducing risk. The regulatory bodies have often been cited as one hindrance to progress, however, these organizations are now encouraging the use of advanced technologies to help speed manufacturing and improve the quality of drug products. This global challenge is a great opportunity to drive this change.
We believe that access to the COVID-19 vaccines is a human right and that we can join the world in this singular global purpose, helping Vaccine Owners to cross through these challenges.
Thinking globally also means thinking about emerging countries. If we do not inoculate the entire world, the virus will continue to spread. Given the supply/cold chain issues and the volumes of doses required, it makes sense to manufacture as close to where the distribution is as possible. Here is where contract manufacturers can make the difference between global access or access only for the wealthiest countries. Technologies can be part of the solution to safeguard against counterfeit doses, ensure quality across multiple locations, and provide validation metrics allowing pharma companies to provide the best quality, safety, and effective doses that remain compliant with the regulatory requirements.
The inherent complexity of a global vaccine manufacturing and distribution requires countless repetitive actions managed by humans that could introduce errors and cause the chain to break. AI is the ideal tool to do tasks requiring human cognition without rest, with accuracy, and systematic iterations (remember - we must reach approximately 10 billion doses globally). Only AI can monitor, analyze, and predict multiple simultaneous processes with hundreds or thousands of variables. AI brings value to humans making critical decisions and operating those tasks. Industrialized AI technology to operate with GxP compliance is here, tested, and ready to help us make the world a safer place again.
Watch Aizon's recent webinar on, "Smart Manufacturing Meets the Bioreactor: Driving More Value and Consistency from Bioprocessing." Improving manufacturing processes will improve yield and get these vaccines and therapies into everyone's hands faster.
