Argentina and PAHO signed an agreement to strengthen the transfer of RNA technology for the production of vaccines and other health technologies

Furthermore, as part of the official visit of the PAHO director to Argentina, Vizzotti led a meeting with him together with authorities from ANLIS Malbrán, ANMAT and ANLAP in which they worked on axes prioritized by the national government on health research and development.

Within the framework of a high-level meeting with the director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Jarbas Barbosa da Silva, to address the national health research and production policy and the experience of Argentina’s incorporation into the HUB for the transfer of technology from the WHO, the Minister of Health of the Nation, Carla Vizzotti, signed a technical cooperation agreement between the portfolio she directs, the National Administration of Laboratories and Health Institutes (ANLIS) “Dr. Carlos Malbrán”, the National Agency for the Promotion of Research, Technological Development and Innovation (R&D&I), the biopharmaceutical company Sinergium Biotech and the PAHO with the aim of strengthening and increasing vaccine development and production capacities and other quality, safe and effective health technologies in Argentina and the Region of the Americas.

“It is extremely important that Argentina has been selected along with Brazil to carry out the technology transfer of a messenger RNA vaccine,” highlighted Vizzotti, while maintaining that “after a long year of work together with the R&D+ Agency “i, the Malbrán Institute, the Ministry of Health and a private production plant reached the signing of this agreement that will allow us to advance with equipment, strengthening and the transfer of the necessary technology to benefit the region.”

“With this agreement we are strengthening the mRNA vaccine production ecosystem and giving greater sustainability” to the PAHO/WHO technology transfer project in Argentina, stated the director of PAHO/WHO, Jarbas Barbosa. In addition, he added that the future development of these vaccines in the country “will help reduce the region’s external dependence on this technology and move towards more equitable access.”

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In turn, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Daniel Filmus, highlighted that the vaccine “represents a before and after for the history of clinical studies in our country because it is the first time they have been carried out with our own vaccine. For us, it is also very important not only the possibility of substituting imports but also the ability to export, for which we have already started conversations. The ARVAC-Cecilia Grierson vaccine is also a successful case of public-private coordination between the Ministries of Science and Health, the R&D&I Agency, the National University of San Martín (UNSAM), CONICET and the laboratory. “Cassara.”

The R+D+i president, Fernando Peirano, stated that “Argentina has guaranteed and universalized the right to health and this can also be a good engine to value our industrial capacity, our scientific capacity to develop new solutions and it is That is why we have been accompanying the process. This agenda must aim to reach the ultimate consequences, which is neither more nor less than becoming a new treatment or a new health solution.”

Finally, the Secretary of Industry and Productive Development, José Ignacio de Mendiguren, highlighted that “for Minister Sergio Massa the articulation between science, health and industry is fundamental to consolidate a development model centered on import substitution and greater presence of Argentine work and innovation in the world.” And he added: “Something that the pandemic taught us was the importance of that synergy, which is why from the Ministry of Economy we have specific financing and development plans, in absolute coordination with the ministries of Health and Science, so that all these efforts are sustainable.”

It is worth remembering that in 2021, the WHO carried out a global call for expressions of interest in which manufacturers and public and private research institutions were invited to contribute to the establishment of technology transfer centers for messenger RNA vaccines against COVID-19. 19 in emerging economies. In this context, for the development and production of mRNA vaccines in Latin America, two regional centers were selected, both in Argentina and Brazil, with the private sector biopharmaceutical company Sinergium Biotech being chosen in Argentina.

Meeting with authorities from ANLIS Malbrán, ANMAT and ANLAP

During the day, Vizzotti led, together with the director of PAHO, a meeting with the head of ANLIS Malbrán, Pascual Fidelio, the head of the National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT), Manuel Limeres, and the president of the National Agency of Public Laboratories (ANLAP), Ana Lía Allemand, in which prioritized axes in health research and development were addressed, such as the production of messenger RNA vaccines, the transfer of new genomic and proteomic technologies to the countries of the region, the development of new Collaborating Centers and Reference Laboratories, and the advances of the Federal Network of Genomics and Bioinformatics of Argentina.

In addition, together with the WHO/PAHO representative in Argentina, Eva Jané Llopis, they took a tour of ANLIS-Malbrán where they visited the International Workshop on Poliovirus Sanger Sequencing, sponsored by PAHO.

Previously, they participated in the opening of the 9th Meeting of the ANLAP Executive Committee, where the management report and the research work of the scholarship recipients of the doctoral and postdoctoral scholarships co-financed by the National Scientific and Technical Research Council were presented. (CONICET) and the ANLAP of the 2020-2021 cohorts.

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The president received the head of the PAHO after the agreement for the production of vaccines and health technologies

President Alberto Fernández received today the Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Jarbas Barbosa, and the Minister of Health, Carla Vizzotti, within the framework of the recent cooperation agreement that Argentina signed with that public health agency to increase vaccine development and production capacities, and two days before the start of the 5th World Mental Health Summit in Buenos Aires.

During the meeting, in which the PAHO Representative in Argentina, Eva Llopis, also participated, the president appreciated that the health portfolio worked together with the National Administration of Laboratories and Health Institutes (ANLIS) “Dr. Carlos Malbrán”, the National Agency for the Promotion of Research, Technological Development and Innovation (R+D+i) and the biopharmaceutical company Sinergium Biotech, signed an agreement this week for the production of vaccines and other health technologies.

For Barbosa, “vaccine production remains very centralized in developed countries,” which is why he congratulated “the effort that Argentina, the public sector and the private sector, are making to produce vaccines that will serve the population of Argentina and of Latin America and the Caribbean”.

The agreement reached with PAHO aims to advance with equipment and strengthen the transfer of technology necessary to develop and produce messenger RNA vaccines in the region.

The development of these vaccines in the country, through the coordination between science, health and industry, will allow progress towards more equitable access and reduce the region’s external dependence on this technology, with a greater presence of Argentine work and innovation in the world.

Meanwhile, the President will open this Thursday the 5th World Mental Health Summit, which for the first time will be held in Latin America with the presence, in addition to Barbosa, of the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. , Ministers of Health from around the world, national, regional and international experts in mental health and representatives of user associations and civil society organizations.

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mRNA  technology transfer programme

The mRNA technology transfer programme is a global initiative that aims to improve health and health security by establishing sustainable, locally owned mRNA manufacturing capabilities in and for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).The programme is based around a technology transfer “hub”  Afrigen, which is located in South Africa. They will provide the technology development, training and technology transfer, and currently 15 programme partners in LMICs across the world are receiving training and technology from the hub and will then produce and sell products commercially. Its core concept is empowerment.

Initially the programme is focusing on mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. However, the programme is designed to encourage the development of other mRNA vaccines and therapeutics against important diseases that threaten LMICs, thereby ensuring the capacity built by the project is sustained and available to combat the next pandemic.

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Special Fortuna Awards: Pan American Energy, PreViaje and Sinergium Biotech

The special distinctions are dedicated to the strengthening of SMEs, tourism, contribution to health and animal welfare certification.

The 2023 Fortuna Award for Contribution to Public Health was awarded to Sinergium Biotech. Its CEO, Alejandro Gil, received the award from Martín Cabrales, vice president of Cabrales.

“The motto of our company is ‘We take care of health, we preserve life’. We are a young company, we were born with the flu pandemic and we work developing technology to improve the health of Argentines,” said Alejandro Gil.

And he added: “We thank Editorial Perfil and Fortuna Magazine, it is a source of pride for those of us who make Sinergium.”

Sinergium Biotech is an Argentine biopharmaceutical company specialized in the research, development, production and marketing of vaccines and highly complex products.

Fortune Awards

Every year, Fortuna magazine, from Editorial Perfil, awards those who stood out the most in business activity in Argentina in various sectors such as food, electricity and oil and industries such as automotive, telecommunications and banks.

In this edition, the awards arise from the evaluation carried out by Aurum Valores, through a team led by Pablo Repetto, Head of Research at Aurum.

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The WHO visited a center for the development and production of vaccines with messenger RNA technology in Argentina

The representatives of the organization did so together with directors of the Pan American Health Organization. They met with national authorities and with the team that is carrying out the technology transfer process for said production.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced in 2021 the creation of a technology transfer center, Afrigen, located in South Africa, which seeks to share technical knowledge to low- and middle-income countries to boost the capacity to produce messenger RNA vaccines.

This initiative led to calls of interest from companies worldwide. América Sinergium Biotech, in Argentina, and the Fiocruz-Biomanghinos Institute, in Brazil, were the only two centers selected within a competitive evaluation with more than 30 bidders, due to their experience in vaccine production and their level of technology and human resources.

In March 2022, the Argentine team was the first to receive training at the specialized center, which delved into the laboratory-scale mRNA manufacturing process, including the formulation of lipid nanoparticles and data analysis, as well as the production and quality control of the finished product. After the visit, work began locally at the Sinergium Biotech plant, managing to replicate the training received in Afrigen.

“The project lays the foundations for the implementation of a regional collaboration that takes advantage of the resources and knowledge of each participant with the ultimate objective of expanding Latin America’s capacity in the production of vaccines with mRNA technology,” said Germán Sánchez Alberti, Manager. of Development and Innovation of Sinergium Biotech. The WHO has developed a vaccine prototype that will enter the clinical testing phase next year.

The visit to the mRNA vaccine development and production center

A mission of delegates from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the WHO and the Medicines Patent Pool met with national health authorities and with the Sinergium Biotech team (Insud’s human vaccine company), which is carrying out the process of technological transfer for the production of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines in the country for regional destination.

During the meeting, the PAHO representative in Argentina, Eva Jané Llopis; the Minister of Health of the Nation, Carla Vizzotti; the senior technical officer at the WHO, Claudia Nannei, the Business Development Director of Sinergium Biotech, Fernando Lobos, and other officials evaluated the progress of the transfer program and analyzed the possibilities that this technology offers for the development of vaccines against the virus SARS-CoV-2 as well as other priority pathogens for the region, and biotherapeutic products.

Read also Messenger RNA vaccines against COVID-19: a journey to the heart of Argentine technology and innovation

“The need for self-sufficiency in the region during the pandemic woke us all up,” said Jané Llopis and added: “It is a challenge and we will continue working from PAHO together with the Ministry of Health of the Nation and all the actors, to face the challenges.” pandemics that may appear, and at the same time go further and investigate the different opportunities that messenger RNA technology allows and offer them to the entire region of the Americas.”

The PAHO representative in Argentina highlighted the country’s leadership in the region in health matters and its ability to face this new challenge and celebrated the Argentine laboratory’s goal of “becoming a pioneer in the production of mRNA vaccines” among the 15 chosen centers. in different places around the world.

The opinion of those who were at the meeting

The minister referred to the importance of working together and with a strategic perspective and expressed the need to “develop sustainable public policies aimed at promoting the development of vaccines and other biotechnological products, expanding our production capacities for these strategic inputs and contributing to regional health self-sufficiency”.

For his part, Lobos mentioned the value of the collaboration that exists between the different national and international actors, and “of PAHO, which was on par from the beginning of the project to have the potential to move forward firmly and faster.” The director of the laboratory also referred to the importance of choosing priority diseases for the region and Argentina in order to demonstrate the operation of the platform, and achieve a strong impact on the health of the entire region of the Americas.

Currently, the Sinergium Biotech laboratory continues to forge a strategic relationship with PAHO to supply essential vaccines for the region, participating in flu vaccine tenders and supplying them for 3 years, making this project one more step towards integration. regional vaccine production center for the americas.

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The PAHO/WHO technology transfer program advances for Argentina to produce messenger RNA vaccines

Buenos Aires, February 15, 2023 (PAHO) — A mission of delegates from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Medicines Patent Pool visited Argentina and met with authorities national health agencies and the biopharmaceutical company Sinergium Biotech in order to continue advancing technological transfer for the production of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines in the country for regional destination.

During the meeting that took place last Tuesday, the PAHO representative in Argentina, Eva Jané Llopis; the Minister of Health of the Nation, Carla Vizzotti; the senior technical officer at the WHO, Claudia Nannei, the director of Business Development at Sinergium Biotech, Fernando Lobos, and other officials evaluated the progress of the transfer program and analyzed the possibilities that this technology offers for the development of vaccines against the virus. SARS-CoV-2 as well as other priority pathogens for the region, and biotherapeutic products.

“The need for self-sufficiency in the region during the pandemic made us all wake up,” said Jané Llopis after giving the welcome and added that “it is a challenge and we will continue working from PAHO together with the Ministry of Health of the Nation and all the actors , to face the pandemics that may appear, and at the same time go further and investigate the different opportunities that messenger RNA technology allows and offer them to the entire Region of the Americas.”

The PAHO representative in Argentina highlighted the country’s leadership in the region in health matters, its ability to face this new challenge and celebrated the Argentine laboratory’s goal of “becoming a pioneer in the production of mRNA vaccines” among the 15 centers chosen in different places in the world.

Then, the minister referred to the importance of working together and with a strategic perspective and expressed the need to “develop sustainable public policies aimed at promoting the development of vaccines and other biotechnological products, expanding our production capacities for these strategic inputs and contributing to regional health self-sufficiency.”

Along the same lines, Nannei explained that in order to promote equitable access to vaccines, the purpose of the WHO and PAHO initiative is to establish a sustainable production capacity for mRNA vaccines in different countries and contribute to the collaboration and exchange of research between countries to expand knowledge about the potential of this technology.

For his part, the regional advisor on Pharmaceutical Policies and Innovation of the Medicines and Health Technologies Unit of the Department of Health Systems and Services of PAHO, Tomás Pippo, indicated that “local production is the way to improve access” and that “PAHO works to promote cooperation among member states and strengthen common policies.”

During his speech, Lobos mentioned the value of the existing collaboration between the different national and international actors, and “of PAHO, which has been on par since the beginning of the project to have the potential to move forward firmly and faster.” . The director of the laboratory also referred to the importance of choosing priority diseases for the region and Argentina in order to demonstrate the operation of the platform, and achieve a strong impact on the health of the entire region of the Americas.

The joint visit, which took place from February 7 to 9, is part of the global work program coordinated by WHO and the regional activities of the agreement between PAHO and the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of the Government of Canada to increase local production capacities and improve equitable access to vaccines in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The mission was also made up of Christopher Chadwick, Cristina Bruno and Martin Nicholson from the WHO; Ike James of the Medicines Patent Pool; and the advisor of the PAHO Office in Brazil, María de los Ángeles Cortés who participated in the meeting, in addition to the advisor on Health Systems and Services, Sonia Quezada Bolaños, the head of the National Administration of Medicines, Foods and Medical Technology (ANMAT), Manuel Limeres; the director of the National Administration of Laboratories and Health Institutes (ANLIS) “Dr. Carlos Malbrán”, Pascual Fidelio, the president of the National Agency of Public Laboratories (ANLAP), Ana Lía Allemand; and the national director of Studies of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Vanesa Lowenstein, among others.

The visit concluded with a tour of the Sinergium Biotech facilities followed by a technical meeting on first and second generation mRNA vaccines, intellectual property rights, purchasing processes, and financial and commercialization strategy and planning next steps. This activity also included the participation of representatives from the Bio-Manguinhos Institute of Technology in Immunobiology of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Patricia Cristina Da Costa Neves and Sotiris Missailidis.

More about the technology transfer program

En septiembre de 2021, la OPS anunció que la empresa Sinergium Biotech, en Argentina, y el Instituto de Tecnología en Inmunobiológicos de la Fundación Oswaldo Cruz (Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz), en Brasil, fueron seleccionados para la transferencia tecnológica.

Bajo esta iniciativa de cooperación internacional, expertos de ambos laboratorios trabajan en colaboración con el centro de transferencia de tecnología de ARNm establecido por la OMS en Sudáfrica para generar capacidades locales destinadas al desarrollo y producción de vacunas y otros productos biológicos.

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