Korea trains international talents in bid to battle vaccine inequality

Industry

Published: 23 Nov. 2022, 16:24

Korea trains international talents in bid to battle vaccine inequality

Participants of the World Health Organization's biomanufacturing training program take a photo at a completion ceremony held in Korea on Nov. 18. [MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND WELFARE]

The overall number of Covid-19 vaccines administered has risen dramatically, but so has the inequality of the distribution between developed and developing countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is trying to solve the gap, with Korea well on its way to becoming an international hub for training talents from low- and middle-income countries.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare on Nov. 18 held a ceremony celebrating the completion of a biomanufacturing training program that was held for a total of 187 people from 32 countries. Korea in March was appointed by WHO as the exclusive training hub to offer education to people in less developed countries.

The training program, which consists of lectures and on-site experimental programs, is hosted by the Health Ministry and organized by the International Vaccine Institute (IVI). The first round was held in July, while the latest was held for 120 hours between Oct. 31 to Nov. 18.

“The training has fulfilled the knowledge gaps on vaccine manufacturing,” said Karim Mtengai, who works as the quality management specialist at Tanzania Biotech Products in Tanzania.

“The training was planned very well, from the organization, to the case studies and to excellent mentors.”

Mtengai said he applied for the program with the expectations of gaining advanced biosafety knowledge, and a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification. Korea’s health ministry and the IVI select a particular topic for each program, and the latest program was focused on GMP, which refers to a system to ensure that products are consistently produced and controlled according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s quality standards.

“In my role in quality management, training has been important,” Mtengai said. “It will be crucial in applying to the design of a vaccine manufacturing facility, and it is also a roadmap on how to start planning.”

Participants hold a group discussion session. [MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND WELFARE]

Selected participants were mostly from low- and middle-income countries and those who work for vaccine and biopharmaceutical companies.

The training program is a part of the WHO's measures to solve vaccine distribution inequality between rich and poor countries. Only 13.5 percent of the population in medium- and low-income countries have been fully vaccinated as of the end of June compared to developed countries at 74 percent.

Samia Rourou, another participant in the program, praised the program for giving her the opportunity to have practical experience. Rourou works as the head of the biotechnology development lab at the Institute Pasteur de Tunis in Tunisia.

“Practice makes improvement, and the practical aspects and development of core skills are vital for our work,” Rourou said. “I got excellent tips, documents and knowledge, all of which will help us to start from a small environment to enhance and enlarge.”

“We can apply this to project management, process validation and other areas.”

The training program also includes tours of major Korean biopharmaceutical companies and their manufacturing facilities including Samsung Biologics, Celltrion, CHA Vaccine Institute and GC Pharma.

Participants of the training program take a photo after a tour to CHA Vaccine Institute in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Nov. 11. [CHA VACCINE INSTITUTE]

Korea has the second largest production capacity in the global biopharmaceuticals industry, with 600,000 liters (159,000 gallons) per year, according to the Korea International Trade Association. It is home to various companies that run contract manufacturing organization (CMO) businesses including Samsung Biologics, which owns the world’s largest single biopharmaceutical plant in Songdo, Incheon.

Those Korean companies also have experience in manufacturing the five widely used Covid-19 vaccines including AstraZeneca, Novavax and Moderna.

“The training met all expectations in terms of training, organization and personnel and presenters,” said Fausat Oderinde, head of a unit at the Federal Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Laboratory in Lagos, Nigeria.

“It will enable higher standards incorporated into our work, a better way of doing things, and improving staff management and training,” she said. “For me personally, it will make me a better administrator.”

The Health Ministry plans to arrange two training programs next year.