Warnings of bare R&D pipeline for top pathogens with pandemic potential, as latest 100 Days Mission report launched

Today the International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat (IPPS) launches the third annual report on the 100 Days Mission for pandemic preparedness at the Accademia dei Lincei in Rome.

Watch a recording of the report launch here.

The report assesses international progress towards the 100 Days Mission – a pandemic preparedness initiative established in response to the impact of COVID-19, which aims to work with multisectoral partners to ensure the global availability of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines (DTVs) within the first 100 days of a pandemic threat.   

2023 saw progress in Vaccines R&D – including the first FDA-approved Chikungunya vaccine and Phase 1 trials for Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) vaccines – and strong political support for the 100 Days Mission from the G7 and G20 under the leadership of Japan and India respectively. However, today’s report highlights a concerning lack of investment in the R&D pipeline overall and signs of waning focus on pandemic preparedness.  –  New analysis reveals limited approved tests, treatments and vaccines for WHO priority pathogens, except COVID-19 and Ebola Zaire. 

• Progress made in vaccines R&D in 2023, but diagnostics and therapeutics underfunded and lagging. 
• Partners come together in Rome as Italy’s G7 Presidency gets underway to urge leaders to break cycle of ‘panic and neglect’ and keep pandemic preparedness on the agenda in 2024. 
• 100 Days Mission Therapeutics Roadmap launched to foster enhanced coordination and collaboration to develop a strong pipeline of new drugs and ensure equitable access. 
• G7, G20, industry and philanthropy called upon to coordinate investments to fill R&D gaps and work towards sustainable clinical trials and regulatory preparedness. 

Working with the International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat, we have developed a Scorecard to critically assess available data to determine how well we are developing and deploying products to combat epidemic diseases.

This first 100DM Scorecard highlights areas of deficiency where urgent action is needed to ensure future, global preparedness. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown what is possible when political will backs the epidemic R&D ecosystem, building from these lessons with more targeted and intentional approaches to preparedness we can collectively move forward to meet the goals of the 100DM.