The Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN) is a voluntary non-partisan

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

alliance of health organizations and vaccine manufacturers. It has the goal of protecting people globally against known and emerging infectious diseases through the provision of a consistent supply of high quality vaccines at affordable prices for

developing countries A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed Industrial sector, industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is al ...

, to achieve

vaccine equity Vaccine equity means ensuring that everyone in the world has equal access to vaccines. The importance of vaccine equity has been emphasized by researchers and public health experts during the COVID-19 pandemic but is relevant to other illnesses and ...

. DCVMN includes manufacturers in Brazil, China, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa and other

low and middle income countries A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreeme ...

(LMICs). It was established in 2000/2001, and is headquartered in Switzerland. As of 2021, the President is Sai D. Prasad, and the CEO is Rajinder Suri. In 2018, DCVMN members supplied more than half of the 2.36 billion doses of vaccines used globally by

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid t ...

. In 2019, a survey of 41 DCVMN members assessed their ability to use technology platforms, cell cultures and filling technologies for the manufacture of drug products. DCVMN members reported that they had the capability to supply over 50 distinct vaccines to 170 countries, totalling more than 3.5 billion vaccine doses annually. At least 15 manufacturer members have achieved WHO prequalification for their vaccines. Members are developing and producing novel vaccines for illnesses including

neglected tropical diseases Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of tropical infections that are common in low-income populations in developing regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. They are caused by a variety of pathogens, such as viruses, bac ...

rotavirus ''Rotavirus'' is a genus of double-stranded RNA viruses in the family ''Reoviridae''. Rotaviruses are the most common cause of diarrhoeal disease among infants and young children. Nearly every child in the world is infected with a rotaviru ...

Japanese encephalitis Japanese encephalitis (JE) is an infection of the brain caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). While most infections result in little or no symptoms, occasional inflammation of the brain occurs. In these cases, symptoms may include h ...

pertussis Whooping cough, also known as pertussis or the 100-day cough, is a highly contagious bacterial disease. Initial symptoms are usually similar to those of the common cold with a runny nose, fever, and mild cough, but these are followed by two o ...

haemophilus influenzae ''Haemophilus influenzae'' (formerly called Pfeiffer's bacillus or ''Bacillus influenzae'') is a Gram-negative, non-motile, coccobacillary, facultatively anaerobic, capnophilic pathogenic bacterium of the family Pasteurellaceae. The bacte ...

hepatitis B Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the '' Hepatitis B virus'' (HBV) that affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. It can cause both acute and chronic infection. Many people have no symptoms during an initial infection. F ...

hepatitis E Hepatitis E is inflammation of the liver caused by infection with the hepatitis E virus (HEV); it is a type of viral hepatitis. Hepatitis E has mainly a fecal-oral transmission route that is similar to hepatitis A, although the viruses are unr ...

, meningitis A, cholera,

poliovirus A poliovirus, the causative agent of polio (also known as poliomyelitis), is a serotype of the species ''Enterovirus C'', in the family of '' Picornaviridae''. There are three poliovirus serotypes: types 1, 2, and 3. Poliovirus is composed of a ...

human papillomavirus infection Human papillomavirus infection (HPV infection) is caused by a DNA virus from the ''Papillomaviridae'' family. Many HPV infections cause no symptoms and 90% resolve spontaneously within two years. In some cases, an HPV infection persists and re ...

dengue fever Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms typically begin three to fourteen days after infection. These may include a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic ...

Chikungunya virus Chikungunya is an infection caused by the ''Chikungunya virus'' (CHIKV). Symptoms include fever and joint pains. These typically occur two to twelve days after exposure. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, and a ras ...

and

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

. Developing countries that have the capacity for production of

whole inactivated virus An inactivated vaccine (or killed vaccine) is a vaccine consisting of virus particles, bacteria, or other pathogens that have been grown in culture and then killed to destroy disease-producing capacity. In contrast, live vaccines use pathogens t ...

(WIV) and protein-based vaccines may be critical in addressing

COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an est ...

access gaps and achieving

for LMICs. As of 29 December 2020, 18 DCVMN members were involved in preclinical or clinical trials for possible COVID-19 vaccines, three of them in Phase III trials. The DCVMN is a vaccine manufacturers partner of

COVAX COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, abbreviated as COVAX, is a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines directed by the GAVI vaccine alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World H ...

, a worldwide initiative for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. As of 2016, the timeline from a vaccine's first regulatory submission in its country of origin to its approval for use in Sub-Saharan Africa could take up to seven years. The DCVMN is active in identifying obstacles in the processes of vaccine registration and use. It works to increase coordination of requirements and procedures to improve the prequalification, procurement and supply of vaccines. This can involve governments in different countries, the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...

(WHO), and

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

agencies such as

. The Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network has received funding from the

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it w ...

References

External links

* Official website
Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network
{{DEFAULTSORT:Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturer Network Collaborative projects Scientific organisations based in Switzerland International medical and health organizations Vaccination-related organizations International responses to the COVID-19 pandemic Deployment of COVID-19 vaccines