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IQVIA allies with CEPI to speed drug development for battling future disease outbreaks

Leading biopharma data provider IQVIA is teaming up with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to advance the “100 Days Mission” focused on streamlining global clinical research for vaccines and other treatments targeting emerging infectious diseases.

A key element of the initiative is preparedness within the clinical research domain, the two organizations said in an Oct. 11 release. The mission is being spearheaded by CEPI and is backed by the governments of G7 and G20 member countries .

Although no financial details were disclosed, under the agreement, IQVIA will be responsible for providing tools and resources to support research preparedness in underserved regions of the globe during “peace time” and to jump in to support trial sites during outbreaks.

“Recent pandemics have highlighted the lifesaving effect that fast development, testing and manufacturing of effective vaccines can have on the global community,” Alistair Grenfell, IQVIA’s president for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, said in the release.

“Preparedness is key to this approach: building sustainable clinical research capacity during ‘peace time’ will enable trial sites to respond and operate at pace when faced with an infectious disease emergency,” CEPI CEO Richard Hatchett added.

CEPI, which is based in Norway, launched in 2017 to create vaccines to protect against future epidemics, and the organization oversaw multiple programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest collaboration gives CEPI access to IQVIA’s global reach to support regional health organizations, with CEPI filling any gaps to ensure high-quality data are generated during an outbreak response.