The Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed) has launched the Distribution Cost-Share Phase of a high-quality Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine tailored for Eastern Africa, marking a significant step toward improved disease control in the region.
This initiative is part of the AgResults FMD Vaccine Challenge Project, which recently announced the registration of the first quadrivalent FMD vaccine specifically designed for Eastern Africa. Biopharma, a vaccine manufacturer from Morocco, became the project’s first competitor after successfully registering the vaccine in one of the six target countries: Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, Burundi, Tanzania, and Kenya. This vaccine meets the project’s Target Product Profile (TPP), making it a vital tool in controlling FMD, a disease that severely impacts livestock productivity and smallholder farmers’ livelihoods.
The AgResults FMD Vaccine Challenge Project, an eight-year, US$17.34 million Pay-for-Results prize competition managed by GALVmed, supports the development and distribution of regionally relevant FMD vaccines. The project’s first phase focused on vaccine development, during which Biopharma created and registered its quadrivalent vaccine in Rwanda. Now, the Distribution Cost-Share Phase will incentivize the uptake of these vaccines, making them more affordable for buyers in both the public and private sectors.
“This is a critical milestone for controlling FMD in Eastern Africa,” said Nina Henning, Project Manager Team Lead at GALVmed. “The cost-share phase will help catalyze vaccine distribution through various channels, ultimately reducing the devastating effects of FMD on farmers.”
Representatives from the AgResults donor Steering Committee, the AgResults Secretariat, and GALVmed highlighted the progress made in controlling FMD and the importance of this vaccine in transforming the lives of smallholder farmers. Dr. Anna Rose Ademun, Uganda’s Commissioner of Animal Health and Chair of the FMD Regional Advisory Group, emphasized that this development marks a significant milestone in combating FMD, a highly contagious disease that affects livestock worldwide and is endemic in Eastern Africa.
The vaccine launch, held at the FAO Global Conference on Animal Health Innovation, provided an opportunity to raise awareness among key stakeholders about the project’s goals and the anticipated impact on livestock farmers in the region. GALVmed CEO Carolin Schumacher stressed that this innovation would enhance the availability and affordability of vaccines, helping to improve food security and reduce poverty across Eastern Africa.
The AgResults FMD Vaccine Challenge Project’s unique Pay-for-Results model incentivizes vaccine manufacturers and promotes collaboration between the public and private sectors to control FMD. With the registration of the first regionally specific quadrivalent vaccine, Eastern Africa now has a stronger chance of controlling FMD, which has long threatened the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.