Representatives from 15 Member States have launched a regional alliance for the development and strengthening of national regulatory authorities for vaccines in the Western Pacific.
“The regional alliance for national regulatory authorities will help fill the need for independent, competent and effective regulatory systems to oversee the supply of assured-quality vaccines,” says World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Western Pacific Dr Shin Young-soo.
The Regional Alliance for National Regulatory Authorities for Vaccines in the Western Pacific will support convergence in regulatory standards, enhance mechanisms for the exchange of regulatory information, promote collaborative programmes and build regulatory capacities in the Western Pacific. It was launched on 14 March—the last day of the three-day Second Workshop for National Regulatory Authorities for Vaccines in the Western Pacific Region.
In recent years, many countries have asked for regional mechanisms to establish or strengthen their regulatory systems for vaccines. During the first workshop for national regulatory authorities in 2011 in Seoul, Republic of Korea, countries requested WHO to establish a regional alliance and act as the regional alliance secretariat.
A task force comprised of national regulatory authorities from Australia, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea was created, which formulated a regional alliance for vaccines and completed the concept paper and work plan.
It was unanimously agreed that the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific will coordinate all the activities as the Regional Alliance secretariat. With the approval of the concept paper, road map and work plan and subsequent launch of the regional alliance, Member States now have a tool to help them achieve not only local, national and regional vaccination goals, but also Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 (reducing childhood mortality) and MDG 5 (improving maternal and child health).
Dr Shin thanked the representatives for embracing the life-saving role they play in strengthening regulatory capacities.