2021-06-16 17:03:44
The Covid-19 pandemic was at the heart of Hichem Mechichi’s working visit to Geneva on June 8-9. The head of the Tunisian government pleaded the cause of his country with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) in order to obtain doses of anti-Covid vaccines but also to access the promising market for their manufacture. He thus spoke with the director general of the WTO, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who pledged to help Tunisia.
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Tunisia has also requested the support of the WHO in order to benefit from assistance for the national regulatory authority for the sector, projects for the aseptic distribution of vaccines or even a platform for the production of messenger RNA vaccines. , as Hechmi Louzir explains. The director of the Institut Pasteur in Tunis and president of the operational vaccination committee was indeed a member of the delegation. Interview.
Jeune Afrique: In the absence of a national drug agency, Tunisia has requested assistance from the WHO to assess the functioning of its national regulatory authority for the sector. What purpose ?
Hechmi Louzir: In the current context, an effective authority is necessary to manufacture or import vaccines in a healthy and safe way. Currently, the regulatory mission is fragmented: it is carried out by different structures linked to the Ministry of Health. The pharmaceutical inspection department agrees to the establishment of production structures. The Pharmacy and Medication Department is responsible for registering and obtaining marketing authorizations. The National Health and Environmental Control Agency (ANCSEP) manages the release of vaccines. The National Medicines Control Laboratory and the National Pharmacovigilance Center also come into play. WHO’s assistance will therefore be used to verify the operation of the regulatory authority in the sector and to issue recommendations for improving it.
Hechmi Louzir, director of the Pasteur Institute in Tunis, in his office, April 7, 2020 © Ons Abid
Tunisia is also requesting assistance to assess the feasibility of a production project in fill and finish (aseptic distribution) and even production of messenger RNA vaccines. Is the country ready to welcome these technologies?
Tunisia can be a country producing vaccines once morest the coronavirus, for its inhabitants as for those of the region, but also other vaccines. There is indeed a risk that the strategy for the production of anti-covid vaccines will take a little time and will no longer represent an emergency when it is operational.
We have highly trained biological engineers and technicians
The country’s capabilities are undeniable given its history. The Institut Pasteur already produces the BCG vaccine as well as serums. The country’s pharmaceutical industry is well organized and ready to accept the development of such technologies. We also have a favorable scientific environment with highly trained biological engineers and technicians, as well as an appropriate legislative system and regulations. We can also consider working in research and development on diseases for which there is no vaccination yet.
The WHO mentioned the identification of five or six regional hubs for the production of vaccines in Africa. Is this a way for Tunis to position itself in this race?
In April, the WHO launched a call for expressions of interest to identify such hubs, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. It will initially be responsible for identifying the production potential to facilitate exchanges, the setting up of structures, the transfer of technologies or the dispatch of experts.
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Tunisia made a request via the Pasteur Institute and thus affirmed to the WHO that it might accommodate these technologies. This might be done within the framework of partnerships and most likely technology transfer with one or more industrial partners or European or international entities, such as research institutes, start-ups, or world-famous pharmaceutical companies.
Could the Sidi Thabet Technopole (north-west of Tunis) participate in this process?
The Sidi Thabet technology park already includes a certain number of entities: a veterinary school, a nuclear energy research center, a biotechnology training center, but also a business incubator. A technology resource center is also being implemented. This space of just over 100 hectares is made to house biotech applied to health.
Removing intellectual property from vaccines will not be enough. Need a technology transfer strategy
One can imagine that in the event of technology transfer or partnership with structures that master different aspects of the manufacture of messenger RNA vaccines, they will be invited to settle in this technopole to take advantage of this land but also of facilitated to launch partnerships with private or public Tunisian pharmaceutical companies.
How can the WTO support you in these steps?
The WTO coordinates with the WHO and is fairly involved in these issues of support for technology transfer and the lifting of patents. During his meeting with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the head of the Tunisian government mentioned the lifting of intellectual property for anti-Covid-19 vaccines. It would be a good thing, but it is not enough. In any case, this measure should be accompanied by a technology transfer strategy in order to optimize the chances of development of these projects.
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