Singapore plans to support a pilot initiative for an mRNA influenza vaccine as part of efforts to strengthen pandemic preparedness and develop adaptable vaccine manufacturing capabilities.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung disclosed this at a UN General Assembly side event on outbreak preparedness and response in New York.
Ong said mRNA technology could provide greater flexibility and shorten development and production timelines for novel and rapidly spreading diseases.
He said the pilot would also address peacetime needs while helping Singapore build adaptable vaccine manufacturing capabilities.
Ong said Singapore was aligning its Prepvax vaccine development initiative with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations’ 100-day mission, which aims to develop vaccines for initial authorisation and scale-up within 100 days of identifying a pandemic threat.
He added that Singapore was collaborating with Sanofi, GSK, Moderna and Thermo Fisher Scientific, and participating in Wellcome Leap’s RNA Readiness and Response Global Network, which is exploring continuous-flow RNA manufacturing to reduce production bottlenecks.
