WHO and the Republic of Korea sign landmark agreement to boost biomanufacturing capacity

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WHO and the Republic of Korea signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a global biomanufacturing training center. This global training center will serve all low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to produce biologics, such as vaccines, insulin, monoclonal antibodies, and cancer drugs.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to expand local and regional production of vaccines and other essential health products in LMICs to ensure equitable access.

To provide countries with the knowledge to rapidly produce mRNA vaccines, WHO, in collaboration with partners, established the mRNA Technology Transfer programme, with the formal opening of the Hub facility in South Africa in April 2023.

This multilateral effort and other recent local production initiatives call for ambitious workforce development strategies to recruit, upgrade, and retain staff working at these facilities with unique competencies required in bioproduction.

To address this gap, WHO and the Republic of Korea have been collaborating closely for over a year and are now formalizing their commitment to the establishment of a global biomanufacturing training center.

“We are delighted to sign this Memorandum of Understanding to take our partnership to the next level and collaborate on the development of a comprehensive training curriculum. We hope this world-class training center will help create a skilled workforce and ensure quality healthcare products can be manufactured around the world,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, Assistant Director General for Access to Medicines and Health Products. of the WHO.

The Government of the Republic of Korea is offering a wide range of facilities and national training programs that cover the full spectrum of bio-manufacturing and is expanding its operations to accommodate more trainees from other countries with the construction of a Global Campus of Bio Education to be released in 2025.

“I hope this MoU will enhance the cooperation between the Republic of Korea and WHO to strengthen the biomanufacturing capabilities of LMICs,” said Mr. Hwang Seunghyun, Director General, Global Vaccine Center Office, Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea.

In parallel, the WHO is intensifying the strengthening of the regulatory system to guarantee the quality and safety of health products. Stronger regulatory agencies will also improve confidence in locally produced products and counter misinformation and the availability of unsafe substandard or counterfeit medicines.