The Political Utility of The WHO mRNA Hub - An Analysis

Newsletter Edition #124 [The Friday Deep Dives]

Hi,

Symbols not only have great illustrative power, but call attention to a wider phenomenon that they represent.

The WHO mRNA hub, has become sort of a symbol of a concerted effort to address vaccine inequities and yet, at the same time reveals the political context in which it has been shaped.

It is an initiative that ticks all the right boxes on investments, diplomacy and self-sufficiency. But as always, details matter.

Although it has received no support from the big vaccine manufacturers, the initiative has begun bold. Much is at stake, as revealed by efforts to undermine it.

Today’s analysis joins all these dots for you. Write to us with your feedback.

Until next Friday!

Best.

Priti

Feel free to write to us: patnaik.reporting@gmail.com or genevahealthfiles@protonmail.com; Follow us on Twitter: @filesgeneva

---

I. STORY OF THE WEEK

The Political Utility of The WHO mRNA Hub - An Analysis

The mRNA hub in South Africa, one of WHO’s key initiatives during the pandemic has captured attention for many different reasons.

In the desert of vaccine inequity, it is being seen as an oasis that will help address manufacturing constraints during future health emergencies, even as the TRIPS Waiver continues to remain a mirage.

When it was established in July 2021, some critics said that the model for the hub was not sufficiently transparent, particularly its principles on licensing and the sharing of technology. However, with news emerging that the hub’s first attempt at copying a mRNA vaccine has succeeded in less than three months, even critics will admit its utility.

While there is no dearth of heroes in this pandemic-stricken world, South African scientists who have copied Moderna’s vaccine have shown what is possible.

This has several consequences. One, it lays bare the fallacy in the narrative about limited capacities in developing countries to deal with complexity – an argument that was bandied about by CEPI, the WTO, pharma industry associations, and other key stakeholders. (CEPI is part of the COVAX Facility and of the COVAX manufacturing taskforce.)

Second, it will make the competition for labs and people even more intense, especially in resource-challenged settings. Add to this mix, diplomatic ambitions and you spark an investment race.

The mRNA hub has also become a trophy for donor countries, particularly European countries, to demonstrate their support and investments in Africa. Bear in mind the upcoming EU-AU summit, and the current dynamics in the TRIPS Waiver discussions where there are proposals to limit the geographical scope of a potential waiver to African countries.

The pandemic has meant big money. And the knives are out. An explosive investigation by the British Medical Journal, earlier in the week, revealed efforts by a consultancy hired by BioNTech to undermine the WHO mRNA hub.

This analysis looks at these different developments to understand the symbol that the mRNA hub has become.

Photo by asim alnamat from Pexels