The Strategic Advisory Group on Increasing Regional Innovation and Production Capacities for Medicines and other Health Technologies held its first meeting – PAHO/WHO

Washington, D.C., Dec. 13, 2024 (PAHO) – PAHO’s Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) on Increasing Regional Innovation and Production Capacities for Medicines and other Health Technologies, created in 2024, held its first virtual meeting.

The Strategic Advisory Group, convened and established by PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, brings together high-level experts in health, science and technology, finance and industry to provide strategic recommendations to guide the actions of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in this area. 

In his welcoming remarks, Dr. Barbosa thanked the experts for their participation and highlighted the existing capacities in the region as well as the important challenges to overcome in order to consolidate a path of sustained growth in innovation and production of medicines and health technologies. He stressed the need to build enabling ecosystems that include regulatory convergence, strengthening of human resources and the strategic use of Regional Revolving Funds to boost local production. He also emphasized the key role of the SAG in providing recommendations to translate cooperation into concrete and impactful actions for the region.

Composition and mandate of the SAG

The chair of the SAG is Mario Moreira (Brazil) and the group of experts is composed of Ruben Abete (Argentina), Michele Childs (UK), Yaneth Giha (Colombia), Maryam Hinds (Barbados), María Fabiana Jorge (USA), Fernando Lobos (Argentina), Mar Martinez (Spain), Adriana Robayo Garcia (Colombia), Flavio Andres Salazar (Chile), Michael Schunk (Canada), Alejandro Svarch Perez (Mexico) and Vicente Verez (Cuba).

The experts serve in their personal capacity, and their composition takes into consideration gender balance, geographic representation, and diversity of experience relevant to the mandate.

The mandate of the group includes advising on policies and strategies for the development and production of health technologies that respond to the region’s public health priorities. In addition, the SAG provides guidance on key aspects of the life cycle of these technologies and fosters collaboration between sectors, including health, science, technology and industry.

PAHO’s Department of Innovation, Access to Medicines and Health Technologies (IMT) acts as the technical secretariat of the group, facilitating the coordination of its activities.

Background

In September 2021, at PAHO’s 59th Directing Council, Member States approved the resolution on Increasing Production Capacity for Essential Medicines and Health Technologies. In response to this mandate, in 2023 PAHO created the Special Program Innovation and Regional Production Platform, which is part of the Department of Innovation, Access to Medicines and Health Technologies.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, PAHO established the Advisory Committee of the Regional Platform to Advance the Manufacturing of COVID-19 Vaccines and Other Health Technologies in the Americas, focused on strengthening preparedness for future emergencies and addressing regional public health priorities and equitable access to health technologies. This Committee concluded its activities in October 2023, following the end of the international health emergency declared by WHO, providing relevant elements for the work of the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) that was created in 2024.

This event was supported by Global Affairs Canada (GAC).