The Right Foundation, an international health technology research fund, said on the 5th that it held a special council roundtable at the foundation's conference room in Seoul with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss ways to expand cooperation between Korean vaccine corporations and the international public procurement market.
Attending the roundtable were Helen Clark, Gavi board chair, who visited Korea for the first time since taking office, and Lee Gyu-ho, Director General of Development Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also present were SK bioscience, LG Chem, and EuBiologics, which are corporations on the foundation's council, as well as representatives from QuadMedicine and Raphas, companies developing microneedle vaccine platforms.
Clark is an expert in global health who has served as New Zealand prime minister, head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and co-chair of the World Health Organization (WHO) Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.
The roundtable was organized to expand the foundation for cooperation between Korean bio corporations and global health partners. The Right Foundation is supporting the consolidation of domestic corporations with international health organizations so that health technologies developed in Korea can be used as international public goods.
Gavi is the largest international vaccine purchasing body, procuring more than half of the world's children's vaccines. Over the past 10 years, it has purchased vaccines worth more than 1 trillion won from Korean corporations and has played an important role in helping domestic corporations enter global markets.
Participants shared the status of global vaccine development and supply and discussed ways for vaccines developed by Korean corporations to be supplied to more low- and middle-income countries through the international public procurement market, including Gavi.
Lee Min-won, head of the Right Foundation, said, "As a foundation established to promote equity in global health, we have supported efforts to ensure that the strengths of Korean vaccines contribute to improving world health," and added, "We expect that this roundtable will further strengthen cooperation between Korea and Gavi, leading to improved access to essential vaccines."
Clark said, "The Korean government's support for Gavi has not only helped protect the lives of children around the world but also laid the groundwork for Korean vaccine corporations to participate in the international public procurement market," and added, "As a leading case where development cooperation and industrial innovation deliver results together, we will continue to expand cooperation with the Korean government and corporations."
Director General Lee Gyu-ho said, "Addressing infectious diseases and expanding vaccine access are tasks the international community must solve together," and added, "Based on cooperation with Gavi, the government will strengthen public-private partnerships and global health collaboration so that the excellent technologies and production capacities of domestic corporations can lead to improved health in low- and middle-income countries."