You are here: Home » 0 » » Archives for 0st

Vaccine Science and Policy Experts Call for Transformation of Vaccine R&D Enterprise

WASHINGTON, May 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As the world continues to grapple with the significant impact of the COVID–19 pandemic, the global community faces an urgent need to develop an efficient, coordinated and sustainable model for a healthy and well–functioning vaccine research and development (R&D) ecosystem.

In a new report, "Powering Vaccine R&D: Opportunities for Transformation," the Sabin–Aspen Vaccine Science & Policy Group uses lessons learned from the rapid development of COVID–19 vaccines to explore opportunities to overhaul vaccine R&D practices to better prepare for the next pandemic, to make strides against diseases currently without vaccines and to establish next–generation vaccines that offer meaningful improvements.

"The COVID pandemic and the rapid development of vaccines to fight SARS–CoV–2 have heightened our sense of urgency that the time has come to evolve and reform the vaccine R&D ecosystem with the goal of creating a world free of vaccine–preventable diseases," said Shirley M. Tilghman, PhD, co–chair of the Group and president emeritus and professor emeritus of Molecular Biology and Public Affairs at Princeton University.

"This report reflects our group's end–to–end thinking on vaccine science and policy, from continued innovation in developing and deploying vaccines, through equitable distribution of vaccines in low– and middle–income countries, to overcoming vaccine hesitancy and realizing the full benefit of vaccines to individuals, families and society," adds Harvey V. Fineberg, MD, PhD, co–chair of the Group and president of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

Despite remarkable accomplishments in recent years, including the new vaccine development platforms that have enabled the rapid response to COVID–19, challenges and structural barriers remain that have slowed the development of new and improved vaccines. The report focuses on five "Big Ideas" that aim to stimulate a more efficient and responsive approach to vaccine R&D:

  • Define leadership roles, responsibilities and mechanisms of accountability to prepare for the R&D demands that surface in a pandemic, including a leadership model that engages diverse stakeholders, expertise and institutions from across the globe.
  • Propel a transdisciplinary research effort to expand and advance vaccine science, including support for a research infrastructure that creates opportunities for novel and high–risk/high–reward ideas, leverages lessons from other scientific areas, ranging from the chemistry and physics of vaccine formulation to the immunologic basis of protection and creates two–way learning opportunities between research focused on pandemics and on longstanding endemic diseases.
  • Restructure regulatory science to reflect advances in vaccine R&D to make vaccine trials faster, nimbler and more cost–effective as well as to enhance product scale–up and manufacturing and post–market surveillance.
  • Reimagine clinical trials to feature equity and efficiency as prime drivers, with lower– and middle–income countries as full partners in clinical trial development at every stage.
  • Position vaccines as a public good and align incentives so that benefits accrue to all sectors of society, including a strong push to develop or maintain policies and practices that promote information sharing and collaborative problem–solving.

These recommendations offer the opportunity to advance and accelerate vaccine development and should be a critical part of any effort to reexamine and restructure the R&D component of the vaccine/vaccination ecosystem, a particularly relevant undertaking as the world continues to address and learn lessons from the COVID–19 response.

"The rapid generation and distribution of effective COVID–19 vaccines have demonstrated the efficiency that can be achieved through heightened collaboration, cooperation and data sharing across multiple contributing disciplines," said Bob Tepper, Group member and co–founder and partner at Third Rock Ventures. "This offers a blueprint for the future where worldwide coordination of scientific, clinical, regulatory and distribution efforts must be established as the new norm."

The Sabin–Aspen Vaccine Science & Policy Group is a partnership which brings together senior leaders across many disciplines to examine some of the most challenging vaccine–related issues and drive impactful change. The meeting of the Sabin–Aspen Vaccine Science & Policy Group and its research and report were funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.

About Sabin–Aspen Vaccine Science & Policy Group

The Sabin–Aspen Vaccine Science & Policy Group, a partnership launched in 2018 between the Sabin Vaccine Institute and the Aspen Institute, brings together senior leaders across many disciplines to examine some of the most challenging vaccine–related issues and drive impactful change. Members are influential, creative, out–of–the–box thinkers who vigorously probe a single topic each year and develop actionable recommendations to advance innovative ideas for the development, distribution and use of vaccines, as well as evidence–based and cost–effective approaches to immunization.

About the Sabin Vaccine Institute

The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a leading advocate for expanding vaccine access and uptake globally, advancing vaccine research and development, and amplifying vaccine knowledge and innovation. Unlocking the potential of vaccines through partnership, Sabin has built a robust ecosystem of funders, innovators, implementers, practitioners, policy makers and public stakeholders to advance its vision of a future free from preventable diseases. As a non–profit with more than two decades of experience, Sabin is committed to finding solutions that last and extending the full benefits of vaccines to all people, regardless of who they are or where they live. At Sabin, we believe in the power of vaccines to change the world. For more information, visit https://www.sabin.org/ and follow us on Twitter, @SabinVaccine.

About the Aspen Institute and its Health, Medicine & Society Program

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners.

Established in 2005, the Aspen Institute's Health, Medicine & Society Program brings together influential groups of thought leaders, decision–makers and the informed public to consider health challenges facing the U.S. in the 21st century and to identify practical solutions for addressing them. For more information, visit https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/health–medicine–and–society–program/.

Media Contact:
Mary Beth Wooden
Vice President, Communications
Sabin Vaccine Institute
+1 (202) 842–5025
press@sabin.org


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 8228125)

Malaysia Welcomes SweeGen’s Bestevia® Zero-Calorie Stevia Sweeteners for Food and Beverages

Rancho Santa Margarita, May 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As pandemic conditions have encouraged Asian consumers to adopt healthier lifestyles and diets, the Malaysia Ministry of Health officially accepted SweeGen's zero–calorie Bestevia sweeteners, Rebaudiosides D, E and M for use as ingredients in food and beverage products.

Brands in Asia are striving to deliver sweet indulgence alongside new and exciting flavors in snacks and beverages to satisfy consumers' cravings. The acceptance of not just one, but three of SweeGen's premium stevia ingredients, gives brands in Malaysia the creative latitude to tackle sugar challenges when innovating and renovating products.

"Cutting calories and adopting nature–based ingredients in diets has long fit into the importance of health and wellness for consumers in Asia," said Senior Vice President of Sales, Luca Giannone. "Our promise well into the future is to ultimately move the needle in what consumers eat and drink through better sugar reduction solutions."

Malaysia is one of many APAC countries where SweeGen's non–GMO stevia sweeteners will change the landscape for offering a low cost–in–use sugar reduction solution.

In its quest to provide highest levels of customized service to brands and the broadest toolbox of taste solutions in Asia, SweeGen is in the process of opening a food and beverage application center in Singapore to collaborate with brands on exploring and discovering product innovations motivated by consumer trends and regional tastes. Last year, Singapore's food safety authority approved SweeGen's Rebs D and E in 2020 and Reb M in 2019.

Next generation non–GMO stevia sweeteners have led the way in replacing sugar in foods and beverages, nutritional products, and many other market products world–wide. In a Mintel 2020 report on table sauces, it reported that "consumers in this region are increasingly keen to eat more natural foods. This should encourage table sauce brands to remove artificial additives and prioritize natural, organic, and less–processed ingredients." SweeGen's proprietary zero–calorie stevia sweeteners are produced through a patented bioconversion process, which begins with the stevia leaf to achieve high–purity clean–tasting Rebs D, E and M.

SweeGen offers food and beverage manufacturers rapid innovation sugar reduction solutions for beverage, dairy, savory, bakery and confectionery. Bestevia Rebs D, E and M were commercialized in the past few years, and have already been approved in many regions around the world.

"This regulatory milestone is just one of many achievements in APAC, said Director of Regulatory Affairs, Hadi Omrani. "We're looking forward to continuing our goal throughout the region which will help an industry that strives to be relevant with consumers."

###

About SweeGen

SweeGen provides sweet taste solutions for food and beverage manufacturers around the world.

We are on a mission to reduce the sugar and artificial sweeteners in our global diet. Partnering with customers, we create delicious zero–sugar products that consumers love. With the best next generation stevia sweeteners in our portfolio such as Bestevia Rebs B, D, E, I, M, and N, along with our deep knowledge of flavor modulators and texturants, SweeGen delivers market–leading solutions that customers want and consumers prefer.

For more information please contact info@sweegen.com and visit SweeGen's website, www.sweegen.com.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward–Looking Statements

This press release contains forward–looking statements, including, among other statements, statements regarding the future prospects for Reb M stevia leaf sweetener. These statements are based on current expectations, but are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are beyond the control of SweeGen, Inc.

Relevant risks and uncertainties include those referenced in the historic filings of SweeGen, Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward–looking statements, and therefore should be carefully considered. SweeGen, Inc. assumes no obligation to update any forward–looking statements as a result of new information or future events or developments.

Attachments


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 8228888)