EuFMD has held several multistakeholder meetings in recent years focused on key initiatives to enhance vaccine security, including the prequalification of FAST vaccines and a model to estimate current and future FMD vaccine demand (VADEMOS).

At previous meetings stakeholders have raised concerns that the way in which the Nagoya Protocol is being implemented is having a negative impact on the ability of countries to exchange strains of FMD virus, both for research and development in the public sector and for evaluation as potential new vaccine strains in the private sector. This issue is emerging as a significant new risk in relation to vaccine security, FMDV surveillance and new vaccine development. 

The meeting will take the form of short presentations providing practical examples of how it is impacting access to FMDV field strains and their use in research and development, including new vaccines that protect against emerging variants of FMDV. These will be followed by a moderated session to explore options and outline a framework for a solution for FMD. An EuFMD policy paper developed by a selected group of legal, policy and scientific experts will be circulated prior to the meeting. 

The objectives of this meeting are to:

• Raise awareness of the impact of the Nagoya Protocol on access to FMDV field strains for research and development, and the development of new FMD vaccines.
• Explore options to improve exchange of FMD field viruses between reference laboratories, research organizations and vaccine manufacturers.
• Draft recommendations for implementing the preferred solutions for FMD that minimize the impact of the Nagoya Protocol on research and development whilst ensuring an equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of the genetic resources. 
• The meeting will be of interest to all stakeholders interested in FMD vaccine security and FMD research and development.

Join the meeting here (Passcode: 81827887 / Meeting ID: 966 6983 7744).