Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is a foundation that takes donations from public, private, philanthropic, and civil society organisations, to finance independent research projects to develop vaccines against emerging infectious diseases (EID).[4][5]
Abbreviation
CEPI is focused on the World Health Organization's (WHO) "blueprint priority diseases", which include: the Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV), the Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the Nipah virus, the Lassa fever virus, and the Rift Valley fever virus, as well as the Chikungunya virus and the hypothetical, unknown pathogen "Disease X".[6][5] CEPI investment also requires "equitable access" to the vaccines during outbreaks, although subsequent CEPI policy changes may have compromised this criterion.[7] In 2022, CEPI adopted a vision for the world to be able to respond to a pandemic threat with a new vaccine within 100 days.[8]
CEPI was conceived in 2015 and formally launched in 2017 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. It was co-founded and co-funded with US$460 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust,[3] and the governments of India and Norway, and was later joined by the European Union (2019) and the United Kingdom (2020).[3][5] CEPI is headquartered in Oslo, Norway.[4]
CEPI is incorporated under Norwegian law. As of March 2020,[41][5] a full-time staff of 68[4] that runs the organisation under the direction of a chief executive officer, Richard Hatchett.[41]
Publications[edit]
In October 2018, CEPI scientists estimated that the costs of developing at least one vaccine for each of the diseases that could escalate into global humanitarian crises was between US$2.8 billion and US$3.7 billion.[42] In November 2019, CEPI discussed its target portfolio was on the WHO's "blueprint priority diseases", that included: MERS-CoV, Nipah virus, Lassa fever virus, and Rift Valley fever virus, as well as Chikungunya virus, and the WHO's Disease X.[6] CEPI outlined its projects to update CEPI priorities for establishment of technical and regulatory pathways for vaccine development, develop sustainable manufacturing solutions for vaccine candidates nearing completion, and create investigatory stockpiles of its vaccine candidates for use in emergency situations.[5]