Ongoing Innovation is Essential to the COVID-19 Response
Across the Middle East and North Africa, vaccination efforts continue to ramp up. As of July 2021, sixteen vaccines are authorized and being distributed around the world. The United Arab Emirates recently became the world’s most vaccinated country by percent of its population. Across the region, however, vaccination rates differ greatly between nations, with access often dependent on the country’s financial status or what agreements are in place with other countries or vaccine manufacturers.
Cancer Treatments Need Policy Breakthroughs to Better Reach Patients
As COVID-19 has highlighted the power of innovation to tackle complex health issues, other top health care concerns have persisted. Across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), many countries face a common set of health and health care challenges, including a rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and a need to increase public and private investment in health systems.
The Latest: COVID-19 Innovation Benefits Patients in MENA
The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked unprecedented private sector innovation and collaboration to combat the global health emergency. Several biopharmaceutical companies formed unique partnerships within the industry and with governments and academia to accelerate the research and development (R&D) processes. Respect for intellectual property (IP) rules aided innovators as they leveraged decades of scientific knowledge to develop and deliver COVID-19 vaccines effectively. As a result, the vaccine development process — from research and clinical trials to government approvals and vaccine deliveries — was accelerated significantly. Now, patients throughout the MENA region are receiving COVID-19 vaccines.
Vaccine Confidence Vital to Curb COVID-19 in MENA
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck more than a year ago, biopharmaceutical companies responded swiftly and worked tirelessly to develop COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and diagnostics. Since then, vaccine candidates have endured rigorous testing through multiple phases of clinical trials and regulatory review. As health authorities continue to monitor the safety and efficacy of these medicines and approve them for public use, it is important for people to know that manufacturers followed a rigorous testing process, including tens of thousands of people.