A Milestone in the Journey to Create an Effective Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Vaccine for Eastern Africa

As one of the most infectious livestock diseases in the world, Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) presents a constant global threat to animal trade and country economies. Endemic throughout Eastern Africa, FMD can devastate livestock productivity and severely compromise small-scale farmers’ livelihoods and food security. Vaccination is proven to effectively control FMD, yet historically, there has not been a registered quadrivalent vaccine that could protect against all strains circulating in Eastern Africa.

But now, the region is one step closer to FMD control.

At the FAO Headquarters in Rome on Tuesday evening, the AgResults FMD Vaccine Challenge Project formally announced that the first quadrivalent FMD vaccine tailored for Eastern Africa was registered in August. By successfully registering in one of the six project Target Countries (Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, Burundi, Tanzania, and Kenya) and meeting the Project’s Target Product Profile (TPP), Biopharma (BIOPHARMA – Société de Productions Biologiques et Pharmaceutiques) qualified to become the project’s first “Competitor.” And with that, the AgResults FMD project officially launched its Vaccine Distribution Cost-Share Phase.

Launched in February 2020, the AgResults FMD Vaccine Challenge Project is an eight-year, US$17.34 million Pay-for-Results prize competition managed by GALVmed that supports the development and uptake of high-quality quadrivalent FMD vaccines tailored to meet the needs of Eastern Africa. The project is being run in two phases: In the Development Phase, participating manufacturers work to develop a regionally relevant FMD vaccine that meets certain predefined criteria. It was during this phase that Biopharma, a vaccine manufacturer based in Morocco, went through the necessary processes to develop and register a regionally specific quadrivalent vaccine in Rwanda that meets the project’s TPP.

In the upcoming Vaccine Distribution Cost-Share Phase – which formally kicks off on October 1, 2024 – the project uses a cost-share mechanism to drive uptake and distribution of high-quality FMD vaccines. The cost-share aims to reduce the cost-per-dose for buyers, enabling public and private sector actors to better combat FMD through access to more effective vaccines.

“We are thrilled to recognize the registration of Biopharma’s FMD vaccine in Eastern Africa,” said Project Manager Team Lead Nina Henning of GALVmed. “Looking ahead, the cost-share will catalyze initial distribution of approved vaccines through both public and private sector channels, with the goal of ultimately reducing the negative impacts of FMD on farmer livelihoods.”

During the launch event, representatives from AgResults’ donor Steering Committee, the AgResults Secretariat, and Project Manager GALVmed reflected on the project’s progress over the last four and a half years and acknowledged the significance of reaching this milestone.

“We recognize the importance of motivating vaccine manufacturers to support long-term efforts to control FMD in the region,” said Parasto Hamidi, Team Lead for the AgResults Secretariat. “It is exciting to see the progress so far, which indicates that we are getting closer to developing a stable market around FMD control and transforming the lives of smallholder farmers and the health of their animals.”  

Dr. Anna Rose Ademun, Commissioner of Animal Health & Chief Veterinary Office (CVO) /WOAH Delegate for Uganda and current Chair of the FMD Regional Advisory Group (RAG) for Eastern Africa, reflected on the importance of this achievement.

“In availing these high-quality FMD vaccines, today marks a significant milestone for the management and control of Foot and Mouth Disease in Eastern Africa,” said Dr. Ademun. “We commend the AgResults FMD Team and donors for this initiative and encourage the support to make these vaccines accessible to livestock farmers.”

The launch event, which took place during the first FAO Global Conference on Animal Health Innovation, Reference Centers, and Vaccines, was an opportunity for the FMD Project Team to raise awareness among key stakeholders in the region, including CVOs and other government representatives, about upcoming activities. Ms. Henning also presented on the project’s goals and anticipated impact at a conference session titled “Innovative Approaches to Strengthen the FMD Vaccine Value Chain in Eastern Africa through Pay-for-Results” (recording starts at 1:51:00) the previous day.

At the launch event, GALVmed CEO Carolin Schumacher underlined the importance of this work and the impact on smallholder farmers and their communities across Eastern Africa. Dr. Schumacher spoke to this same topic during a Sept 24 conference session titled “Securing the Supply of Safe, Effective, and Affordable Veterinary Vaccines” (recording starts at 0:18:15).

“Our mission is to enhance the availability, affordability and accessibility of quality vaccines for the treatment of animal diseases that significantly impact African communities,” said Dr. Schumacher at the Cost-Share launch event. “I am thrilled that our collaboration has produced groundbreaking innovation in the form of a new quadrivalent FMD vaccine for Eastern Africa. This vaccine will play a vital role in controlling the endemic disease and could help reduce poverty in the region.”

Structured as a Pay-for-Results prize competition, the FMD Vaccine Challenge Project is unique in how it uses incentives to engage vaccine manufacturers in the region. These monetary incentives will play a key role in encouraging public and private sector to control FMD in Eastern Africa in the years to come.

“Since 2020, the project has focused on encouraging vaccine development. Now we are at a critical moment where the first regionally specific quadrivalent vaccine has been registered in Eastern Africa,” said Christopher Brett, AgResults’ donor Steering Committee Chair and World Bank Lead Agribusiness Specialist. “With a tailored vaccine, the region has a better chance of controlling the spread of FMD and improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and their animals.” 

For more information about the FMD Vaccine Challenge Project, visit www.galvmed.org/foot-and-mouth-project. The project is part of AgResults, a $152 million collaborative initiative between the governments of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the World Bank Group that uses prize competitions to incentivize the private sector to overcome market barriers and create lasting change. Under AgResults’ Pay-for-Results model, these competitions encourage actors to achieve predetermined results thresholds and quality for monetary prizes.