The pharmaceutical industry contributes 1.2% of the region’s GDP (direct, indirect

Foreword

The pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has highlighted the unprecedented vulnerabilities and challenges facing Latin American and Caribbean countries in the health, economic, social and productive spheres.

This region has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis. Despite the fact that it is home to just 8.4% of the world’s population, it accounted for 20.1% of COVID-19 infections and 32% of deaths by end-August 2021. This has placed the region in a critical situation, prompting it to re-evaluate strategies and public policies and to shift priorities related to productive, technological and health capacities.

In view of the extent of the challenges facing the countries of the region, Mexico, in its capacity as Pro Tempore Chair of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), requested the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to prepare a plan for self-sufficiency in health matters for the region, not only assessing and analysing the situation but also advancing lines of action for strengthening capacities to produce and distribute vaccines and medicines in CELAC countries.

To this end, ECLAC conducted an in-depth review of vaccination progress (procurement, inoculation, development and production, scenario estimation), established a working group of over 20 experts from different countries in the region, assessed the region’s capacities, highlighting institutional capabilities for policy design and implementation, and developed recommendations for strategies and lines of action.

In a changing and uncertain global and regional scenario, the lines of action and proposals presented herein call for reflection and action on short-term constraints (access to and administration of vaccines) as well as long-term needs (investment driven by industrial policies). Moreover, the plan recognizes the key role of science and technology policies and boards, as well as the substantial financing that is urgently needed to move towards self-sufficiency in health matters. It also highlights the important role of regulatory agencies and competition policies, and the advantages of a strategic approach to intellectual property. This all calls for an analysis of the institutional capacities of governments, with particular attention to organizational weaknesses in institutions, with a view to improving coordination in national strategies and drawing useful and practical lessons for CELAC countries.

The lines of action and proposals included in the plan for self-sufficiency in health matters Latin America and the Caribbean had to take into account the specificities of the pharmaceutical industry and supply- and demand-side issues. The supply-side analysis covered all links in the industry chain, from research and development to the production and distribution of vaccines and medicines. On the demand side, the plan affords special consideration to the public primary health-care system and its role in the access to vaccines and medicines and their efficient distribution, given their potential for driving new activities.

The ultimate goal of regional self-sufficiency in health matters will require substantial investment in resources in the medium and long terms, especially to build capacity in weak sectors or creating capacity where there is none, as in the case of messenger RNA vaccines. However, the region also needs to finance responses to immediate or very short-term emergencies, such as the need to source COVID-19 vaccines on the international market to cover its population.