Our next interview from the Barcelona Congress Conversations series is with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliances’ Dr Marta Tufet, who joined us at the event for two presentations and a panel; we were thrilled that she was able to make time in her busy schedule to chat to us about her work. This interview was conducted in October, before the Gavi board met and the portfolio expansion was announced. It was a pleasure to speak to Dr Tufet, and we hope you enjoy hearing from her!
Introducing Dr Tufet
Dr Tufet kindly introduces herself as Head of Policy at Gavi.
“In this role I see our programmatic policies as well as our vaccine investment strategy, which is the process that we undertake every five years to decide which new vaccines should be to the Gavi portfolio.”
The investment strategy
Dr Tufet mentions the investment strategy, so we asked for a bit more information on what this is and how it works. She reflects that, since Gavi was established in 2000, the number of vaccines in the portfolio has grown to target 19 different diseases, across 46 different product presentations.
“With the advent of new technologies and scientific advancements, there are more and more vaccines that are currently in the pipeline.”
Although this is exciting, there are “limited resources” and Gavi has to invest in vaccines with the “greatest public health impact”.
“We are procuring for 50% of the world’s children. Therefore, we need to make sure that we are investing in the right vaccines that are going to have the greatest impact to those who need them most.”
The investment strategy, Dr Tufet explains, is an evidence-based process that is undertaken every five years to assess the “impact” of vaccines on the horizon. Through comparison of vaccines with each other and the current portfolio, Gavi’s team makes strategic decisions on the future of the fund. For the latest on this from Gavi, click here!
Saving lives through immunisation
Our next question was about the people that Gavi serves, and the effect that the team has had so far and will undoubtedly continue to have. Dr Tufet considers the Gavi’s mission, and how this has already been translated into the immunisation of 1 billion unique children.
“This is a huge impact: we have seen the reduction of about 7% in vaccine-preventable diseases.”
As well as responding to routine vaccination needs, Gavi is on standby to support countries in outbreak situations.
“Countries are able to access these vaccines when they are experiencing an outbreak and be able to respond quicker.”
Top targets
With so many possible targets, what are the diseases that Gavi is investing in at the moment, and how are those decisions made? Dr Tufet states that the first considerations are pathogens that have a “big burden in the countries that we support”. However, looking to the “horizon”, she emphasises that evaluation and comparison are critical to inform the decisions on which vaccines are “likely to have the greatest impact”.
“We’re not taking a first come, first served approach where the first vaccine that sort of makes it past the line is the one that we invest in. We really want to make sure that we are taking more of a holistic picture when it comes to epidemic preparedness and vaccines against diseases of epidemic or pandemic potential.”
“We start gathering evidence and gathering information around those pathogens so that in the event that there is a public health threat or that an R&D development milestone is met, we are able to therefore develop an investment case and make a quick decision.”
Manufacturing matters
A key concern at the Congress was the importance of regional manufacturing as a lesson from the pandemic. We asked Dr Tufet about Gavi’s involvement in encouraging greater variety and addressing local needs.
“One of the biggest lessons of this pandemic has been the importance of ensuring that there’s diversification of manufacturing capacity so that vaccines can reach those that need them most.”
“It’s countries that are deciding which vaccines they want to apply for.”
Finally, Dr Tufet suggests the importance of “some form of solidarity”.
“To ensure that those vaccines that will eventually be produced in the continent are also procured in the continent to ensure that we have sufficient doses available to reach the children that need them most.”
Why WVC?
Every interview concludes with a reflection on our guest’s reasons for joining us, and Dr Tufet’s was no different! She explained that the “opportunity to meet and engage with multiple stakeholders” was particularly useful.
“I think it’s important for organisations like ours to be here to facilitate the dialogue between the earlier stages of vaccine development and the delivery side.”
Dr Tufet recognises the “many obstacles” from vaccine development to deployment. However, if these obstacles are considered at every stage of the vaccine timeline, then “important” progress can be made.
“I’m really hoping to sort of bridge that gap between the innovation, the development, and the delivery and policy making at that stage.”
Thank you to Dr Tufet and her team for the time and insight that went into this interview. We hope that you enjoyed this conversation with Dr Tufet, and don’t forget that we review a lot of Gavi’s work throughout the year, so do subscribe if this is of interest to you!
