Thursday, December 10, 2020 7am to 8:30am
About this Event
Please join us for a discussion with global health experts on the use of monoclonal antibodies to fight COVID-19 in Africa. While the world has mobilized at unprecedented speed to develop effective vaccines, it will still take time for widespread vaccine distribution and immunization, particularly in the lower income countries. Complementary solutions, such as effective therapeutics, are urgently needed to mitigate the toll of the pandemic in Africa. Technologies that we develop now during the COVID-19 pandemic also have the potential to aid in future pandemics.
With the recent commitment by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Eli Lilly and Company to procure monoclonal antibodies for low- and middle-income countries, there is a need to identify how, when and where these drugs should be used. Significant hurdles to effective deployment exist, including highly technical manufacturing and limited production, cold chain requirements, high prices and efficacy likely limited to specific populations.
Panelists will discuss the obstacles to efficiently, effectively, and equitably rolling out monoclonal antibodies for COVID-19 across Africa and identify possible solutions for addressing these challenges. The webinar will be hosted by the Pandemic Response Initiative at the University of California San Francisco Institute for Global Health Sciences.
Host
Professor Sir Richard Feachem, KBE, FREng, DSc(Med), PhD
Director, Global Health Group and Professor of Global Health, Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California San Francisco
Moderator
Kelly C. Sanders, MD, MS
Technical Lead, Pandemic Response Initiative, Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California San Francisco
Panelists
Bernice T. Dahn, MD, MPH
Vice President for Health Sciences, University of Liberia
Former Minister of Health for the Republic of Liberia
Professor Sir Jeremy Farrar, OBE, FMedSci, FRS
Director, Wellcome Trust
Co-Chair, Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator
Dean Pettit, PhD
Affiliate Professor, University of Washington, Bioengineering
Sr VP, Biotherapeutic Science at Just-Evotec Biologics
Fatima Suleman, BPharm, MPharm, PhD
University of Kwa-Zulu Natal
World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical
Prashant Yadav, PhD, MBA
Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development; Affiliate Professor, INSEAD
Discussant
George B. Kyei, MD, PhD, MS
Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease Physician, University of Ghana
Closing Remarks
Trevor Mundel, MBBCh, PhD, MSc
President of Global Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation