Pandemic preparedness and response
Advancing innovation and equity for the next pandemic
Pandemic preparedness and response
Advancing innovation and equity for the next pandemic
Building on our contribution to the COVID Moonshot drug discovery initiative, our collaborative antiviral discovery efforts have expanded the pipeline of candidate compounds and created one of the most substantial open antiviral discovery resources of its kind. Now, we are leveraging our experience in not-for-profit R&D to advance the development of promising broad-spectrum antiviral compounds so they can rapidly enter clinical trials in the next pandemic. Our policy advocacy teams are also working to embed equitable access, open science, and public-interest conditions into the rules, partnerships, and financing structures that will shape future outbreak responses.
Recent outbreaks of Ebola Bundibugyo virus, H5N1 panzootic influenza A, and hantavirus are stark proof that the world remains dangerously ill-prepared to face the rising threat of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Viral diseases of pandemic and epidemic concern – including flaviviruses (such as dengue and Zika), togaviruses (such as chikungunya), and coronaviruses – remain chronically underprioritized, with few or no therapies available for these and other priority viral pathogens highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO).
New treatments that can readily enter clinical trials when the next pandemic hits are needed. Robust global rules and policies that guard against profiteering, protectionism, and inequitable access to health tools must also be established.
What we are doing for pandemic preparedness
In the complex field of drug discovery and development for diseases of pandemic potential, our teams and partners are united by a common goal: placing on humanity’s shelf a collection of potential broad-spectrum antiviral drugs that will be ready for clinical evaluation and scale-up manufacturing to confront new pandemics, and which could be developed quickly into affordable, globally accessible treatments.
We are also advocating for the policies and commitments needed to ensure all people have access to the life-saving medical tools they need. In policy fora and international decision-making bodies such as the World Health Assembly, we speak out for change that we know from our own experience can help shift the scales in the next pandemic.
What we have achieved
We engaged in collaborative drug discovery partnerships to develop affordable, effective new COVID-19 treatments. One such open science partnership led to the discovery and development of a promising broad-spectrum antiviral with potent activity against coronaviruses.
A multi-country trials focusing on mild and moderate cases of COVID-19. Conducted across 29 clinical trial sites in 13 African countries and Brazil by 27 medical research organizations, the ANTICOV study tested treatments that could reduce the risk of hospitalization.
Open-science search for an affordable, globally accessible COVID-19 antiviral. 150 scientists partnered to identify new molecules that could block SARS-CoV-2 infection. A pre-clinical candidate built on the scaffold they discovered and optimized is now being further developed by researchers from the AViDD ASAP consortium.
Open science against the world’s most dangerous viruses. This partnership between DNDi and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) is screening a selection of nucleoside drugs for the broadest possible antiviral activity against families of viruses presenting the greatest epidemic and pandemic threats.
Free access to 400 diverse chemical compounds. Launched by MMV and DNDi in 2019, this project aims to accelerate drug discovery by providing researchers with free drug-like molecules selected by disease experts for screening against infectious and neglected diseases.
Pandemic preparedness news & resources
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