
Japan, UK pledge new funds to CEPI's $3.5B pandemic preparedness plan, with eye toward future outbreaks
As Covid-19 nears its inevitable, slow-to-develop endgame, the nations of the world are looking to speed the pandemic’s end while preparing for what comes next. A highly-touted plan from CEPI to turbocharge pandemic R&D has earned the first of what it hopes will be significant funding to take that initiative forward.
With CEPI’s annual Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit just days away, the governments of the UK and Japan have pledged more than half a billion dollars to the international initiative as part of a five-year plan to end Covid-19 and prepare for future pandemics.
CEPI’s ambitious plan — dubbed the 100 Days Mission — aims to speed the development of vaccines and therapeutics to 100 days for emerging diseases. Endorsed by the G7 and G20, the initiative is looking to raise $3.5 billion by the end of the summit in early March.
For its part, the Japanese government pledged $300 million to the initiative, reiterating its support for the international R&D strategy. In a statement, the government said:
Japan will strengthen its cooperation with CEPI to respond to the current pandemic and prepare for future pandemics. The contribution to CEPI has great significance in addressing the common human issue of pandemics and can also help to further promote Japan’s own vaccine development and production.
Meanwhile, the UK pledged roughly $214 million to the mission. The nation has raised around $370 million for the organization since 2018.
CEPI CEO Richard Hatchett had this to say about the pledges in a statement:
This funding comes at a critical moment, allowing CEPI to pursue our ambitious program to develop ‘variant proof’ vaccines against Covid-19 and other betacoronaviruses as well as pursue our life-saving work developing vaccines against the next Disease X and known viral threats such as Lassa Fever, Nipah and Chikungunya.