Nurse prepares the Ebola vaccine in the site of Bikoro, DRC 2018. Photograph by Louise Annaud
Technical brief |

MSF's response to CEPI’s policy regarding equitable access

Photograph by Louise Annaud

Will equitable access to these new vaccines be secured?

In the wake of the large Ebola outbreak in West-Africa in 2014 – 2015, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) was launched at Davos in January 2017 to finance and coordinate the development of new vaccines to prevent and contain infectious disease epidemics. As one of the first responders to emergencies and outbreaks, MSF is following the development of this important initiative closely.

Based on our experience as a medical humanitarian organization and our experience of working for over fifteen years on access and innovation through the MSF Access Campaign we engaged with CEPI as they developed and revised their ‘Equitable Access’ policy.

This unprecedented public investment in vaccine research is a historic opportunity to establish a model for medical R&D that responds to public health emergencies and ensures access to vaccines for all in need.  It is essential that CEPI keep its initial commitments on pricing and intellectual property grounded in transparency and disclosure of information and knowledge. We remain engaged in discussions with CEPI, and trust that others will join us in ensuring that this important public investment will result is affordable access.

Response by MSF to the invitation to comment on CEPI’s Policy Regarding Equitable Access, 2018