The World Health Organization is establishing a facility in South Korea to provide training for drug manufacturing in poorer countries to increase local production, combat chronic diseases and enhance preparation for the next global health crisis.
Officials at the WHO and other multilateral institutions have for the past two years warned of a significant inequality in access to tools to combat the coronavirus pandemic, particularly vaccines. Health experts have said the uneven distribution of vaccines worldwide was largely because of a lack of trained staff and the concentration of jab manufacturing in richer nations.
The South Korean training hub will provide technical and hands-on training in the production of a range of pharmaceutical products, including vaccines, monoclonal antibodies and cancer treatments, the WHO said on Wednesday.