Strengthening health production and innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean was at the centre of the Industry Engagement Forum (IEF), which brought together public and private actors in Brasília to discuss how the region can build more sustainable capacities and expand equitable access to health technologies.
Held on 20–21 August, the Forum was co-convened by Unitaid, US Pharmacopeia, the Global Coalition for Local and Regional Production, Innovation and Equitable Access, Brazil’s Ministry of Health, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
The Forum brought together governments, industry, financing institutions, regulatory agencies, international organizations, civil society and global health partners to strengthen regional manufacturing and expand sustainable access to health products.
These actors are strategic partners in advancing solutions tailored to regional needs and strengthening sustainable access to health products.
Speaking during the Forum, Priscila Ferraz, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Global Coalition, recalled how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep inequalities in access to health technologies and the vulnerabilities created by dependence on global supply chains.
At the same time, established institutions such as Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz and Butantan Institute, alongside other producers in the region, demonstrated the importance of having existing productive capacity that can respond when emergencies arise.
Building capacity beyond times of crisis
For Ferraz, the challenge is not simply to expand manufacturing, but to build strong and sustainable regional ecosystems encompassing production, innovation, regulation and other capacities needed to respond to public health needs.
Latin America and the Caribbean have strong scientific institutions, public and private producers and regional organizations, but the region has also lost industrial capacity over recent decades and become increasingly dependent on external supply chains. Reversing that trend requires sustained cooperation and investment.
Importantly, those capacities cannot be built only in response to emergencies. They need to be integrated into health systems and routine processes so they remain sustainable – and can be activated when crises emerge or when neglected populations and health needs require greater attention.
Connecting regional strengths
This regional approach is also central to the Global Coalition’s mandate. The Coalition brings together governments, global health initiatives, private-sector actors, civil society, development banks and financial institutions to help coordinate efforts and strengthen capacities according to the specific needs of each region.
The IEF provided a space to bring these different perspectives together and identify experiences, challenges and practices that can inform policies, projects and investment across Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Coalition contributed across several parts of the programme. In addition to delivering opening remarks, Ferraz moderated a session examining the region’s health innovation and production landscape and market dynamics.
Marco Nascimento, Assistant Executive Secretary of the Global Coalition, joined a panel on strategic inputs and resilient value chains for regional production, while Luana Bermudez, General Manager of the Global Coalition, participated in a session focused on translating regional innovation and production into access, drawing on lessons from strategic health products.
Ferraz also stressed that regional resilience goes beyond manufacturing capacity. Innovation, regulatory capacity and epidemiological surveillance are all part of building stronger health systems that can respond to the needs of their populations.
Speaking on behalf of Mário Moreira, President of Fiocruz and Executive Secretary of the Global Coalition, Ferraz reaffirmed the Coalition’s commitment to contributing to this regional agenda and helping translate coordination into stronger health outcomes.
The Forum also provided an opportunity to present the Global Coalition’s first Call for Proposals, focused on dengue. The call, whose submission period closed on 31 July, sought high-impact projects to accelerate the development, production and deployment of vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics and enabling technologies, while strengthening local and regional capacities and expanding equitable access to health technologies.
By bringing together the different actors involved across the health innovation and production ecosystem, the Forum seeks to foster a more integrated approach to development and production – one that is ultimately oriented towards expanding access to health technologies.
