Operation Warp Speed: implications for global vaccine security

Abstract

Several global efforts are underway to develop COVID-19 vaccines, and interim analyses from phase 3 clinical testing have been announced by nine organisations: Pfizer, the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm Group, Sinovac Biotech, Johnson & Johnson, Novavax, and CanSino Biologics. The US programme known as Operation Warp Speed provided US$18 billion in funding for development of vaccines that were intended for US populations. Depending on safety and efficacy, vaccines can become available through mechanisms for emergency use, expanded access with informed consent, or full licensure. An important question is: how will these Operation Warp Speed vaccines be used for COVID-19 prevention in global health settings? We address some key questions that arise in the transition from US to global vaccine prevention efforts and from ethical and logistical issues to those that are relevant to global vaccine security, justice, equity, and diplomacy.

Vaccines for COVID-19: Where do we stand in 2021?

“…The largest of these is Operation Warp Speed, a US public-private partnership which invested US$18 billion in into a portfolio of 8 vaccine candidates, all obliged to enter into product delivery commitments with the USA. [29] …”

Anti-COVID-19 Vaccination in Patients with Autoimmune-Autoinflammatory Disorders and Primary/Secondary Immunodeficiencies: The Position of the Task Force on Behalf of the Italian Immunological Societies

“…The latter, corresponding to the Russian vaccine from Gamaleya Research Institute, has been already used in humans for many months, as approved by the Russian Ministry of Health, but is still reported in the WHO document as phase 3 [17]. The same is true for BBV152 inactivated vaccine, from Bharat Biotech, which has been approved and used in India [18].…”

The future of COVID-19: A vaccine review

“…By mid-August 2020, the United States and United Kingdom had both secured close to 5 doses per capita meanwhile, as of publication, many LMIC still are unable to shore-up even a single dose per capita. [ 2 ] Through a combination of private negotiations that involved vaccine development funding and large bundled purchases during clinical trials, HIC have already secured 6 billion doses of the vaccines with the highest published efficacy rates being produced in Western HIC [ 29 ]. The combination of the secrecy of these agreements and the lack of financial assets make world-wide equitable access to the highest efficacy vaccines being developed close impossible for LMIC [ 30 ].…”