Statement: Fifth Implementation Report of the 100 Days Mission

The International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat's Fifth Implementation Report of the 100 Days Mission highlights some progress, but warns that fragile systems, uneven investment and pipeline stagnation threaten the world’s ability to respond to another pandemic within 100 days. The Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics responds below:

Therapeutics are a pivotal part of our pandemic preparedness and response toolkit. Imagine a future pandemic where we can’t develop a vaccine quickly; we need therapeutics as a second layer of protection.

It’s therefore encouraging to see the progress made in therapeutics as a core pillar of the 100 Days Mission over the last year, particularly through the advancement of key global initiatives like the Therapeutics Development Commission.

However, we still have a way to go. Science, particularly early-phase discovery research, remains critical. The Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics continues to invest in foundational research essential to building the global therapeutic pipeline, but we must see ongoing funding in this area keep pace with the scale of the challenge.

Specifically, we must continue to invest in platform technologies – tools that are designed not to fight a single virus, but that can be readily adapted for a wide range of pathogens. These technologies give us options when it comes time to fight the next pandemic, especially when we can’t predict what it will be.

Investments made now, in so-called “peace time”, will determine whether the world is ready when the next pandemic hits.

To learn more about the power of therapeutics and the role they must play in pandemic preparedness and response, listen to Off Script – a podcast by the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics.