WHO/IVI global stakeholder consultation on group A Streptococcus vaccine development: Report from a meeting held on 12–13 December 2016

Publication date: 7 June 2018
Source:Vaccine, Volume 36, Issue 24
Author(s): Joshua Osowicki, Johan Vekemans, David C. Kaslow, Martin H. Friede, Jerome H. Kim, Andrew C. Steer
While progress towards a Group A Streptococcus (GAS) vaccine has been stalled by a combination of scientific, regulatory, and commercial barriers, the problem persists. The high and globally-distributed burden of disease attributable to GAS makes vaccination an imperative global public health goal. Advances across a range of scientific disciplines in understanding GAS diseases have made the goal a realistic one and focused attention on the need for coordinated global action. With a view to accelerating GAS vaccine development, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) convened a global stakeholder consultation on the 12th and 13th of December 2016, in Seoul, South Korea. Topics discussed included: (1) gaps in current knowledge of global GAS epidemiology, burden of disease, and molecular epidemiology; (2) contribution of pre-clinical models to candidate vaccine evaluation and new immunological assays to address GAS immunology knowledge gaps; (3) status and future of the GAS vaccine development pipeline; and (4) defining a pathway to licensure, policy recommendations and availability of a vaccine. The meeting determined to establish a GAS vaccine working group to coordinate preparation of a global vaccine values proposition, preferred product characteristics, and a technical research and development roadmap. A new global GAS vaccine consortium will drive strategic planning to anticipate requirements for licensure, prequalification, and policy recommendations.



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