 Good morning, everyone and welcome to this press conference from the 47th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum here in Davos Welcome everybody here in the room. Welcome for those of you who are watching on the live stream and a special welcome to everyone here on the panel The press conference today is dedicated to the launch of sepi So, you know the forum has its acronyms. What does sepi stand for sepi is the coalition of academic preparedness? innovations What does that mean you'll hear that in a second from the wonderful panel we have assembled here today? But first let me introduce them to you to my immediate left. We are joined by the chief executive officer of sepi I'll try to pronounce it correctly. John Arnold Rothdinger. I think it was close Next to him Carlos Muedas who is the EU Commissioner for research science and innovation Right at the center of our panel today is We're joined by Julie Louise Gehmerding the executive vice president for strategic communications global public policy and population health of MST and to her immediate left where I have the pleasure to be joined by Naoko Yamamoto the assistant minister for global health and health industry strategy at the Ministry of Health Labor and Welfare of Japan and Last but not least. We're joined by my fellow German state secretary Georg Schütte Of the federal ministry of education and research. It really pains me that of all names. I got the German name wrong So apologies for that. Mr. Schütte Welcome everyone Without further ado John Arnold over to you What is the aim of sepi and why is it so important for everyone? No, thank you So as you said sepi is a new global coalition and the aim is really to develop new vaccines To have a safer world to prevent and prepare us for epidemics And this kind of planning started here at the Walls last year at the World Economic Forum where a Group of representatives both from public and private sector from international Organization from governments from civil society came together Really after seeing the devastating impact of the Ebola epidemic Because two and a half a year ago Many of us were at the World Health Organization Really seeing the what has happened in West Africa and seeing the increase in the epidemic Hearing new numbers more cases every week And also having kind of predictions of this epidemic coming completely out of control What then was the focus was really how could we mobilize vaccines In short time and actually one of the successes as the part of their global response because of there were many failures But one of the successes was that the world collectively in collaboration between private and public sector managed to start and implement More than 15 clinical trials and one of those trials the Guinea ring vaccination trial Done by using the Merck vaccine Really demonstrated efficacy However, if we had been prepared if we had taken these vaccines through phase one and phase two clinical development earlier We would have been able to take those vaccines out in the field Maybe six nine months earlier than we did and that would have meant huge impact on human lives We would have saved thousands of human lives in West Africa We would have avoided the social disaster as such an epidemic can have and of course the security and economic impacts So that is really what CEP is about and we have two strategic pillars We we want to do two things one is based on guidance from the World Health Organization To prioritize vaccine development for threats that we have defined and we have said these are the most important threats And CEPI has decided to focus on MERS the means the Middle East respiratory syndrome Nipah virus and Lassa fever as the three priorities But that's one approach. We also know that we do not necessarily Have prediction power to actually say what would be the next epidemic So we also need to prepare for the unknown and we need to have rapid response capabilities We need to have adaptable vaccine technology platforms where we can more or less plug and play Where we can take new information on a new epidemic the new pathogen and actually put it into an established vaccine So what CEP is really is it's a kind of a virtual vaccine development organization It's also a global health insurance organization We all know that individuals needs need health insurance to be protected to actually have health care But this is a global health insurance in mechanisms for countries countries need to come together CEPI has been created by a group of founding partners World Economic Forum was crucial as I mentioned starting here in the meeting last year and then it's the two governments the governments of India and Norway with two foundations Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust But that's just the start and I'm very grateful for the governments who have already stepped up and now are Announcing their contribution and away paying their premiums to CEPI I'm also very Very clear on the message that we can only do this as a partnership We can only do this as a coalition. We need to collaborate public and private sector Therefore, I'm also glad that Julie Gerbering from Merck is here on the panel and demonstrate how we through this model can work collectively in a different way. Thank you Thank you very much Commissioner Moedas you're an EU Commissioner So, you know working together across boundaries can be a challenge Tell us why this is important for from a European perspective and what the role of the Commission will be Thank you very much a good morning to everyone is a pleasure to be here And it's a pleasure because I think that when you think about epidemics you think about the fact that Whatever you do you have to be globally prepared and Like so many of the challenges that we have today in different crises in Europe the answer is a global answer and Those solutions have to be global and have to be a work together of different countries So sepi for me is more than just an organization is more than health He's actually part of these view of the world a collaborative open world a world where problems are met We do global responses And so one of the things that we are very proud that the European Commission is that we were able from the very very beginning when I started in 2014 at the end of 2014 To have had the ability with the private sector to deploy more than 200 million to basically look into a vaccine for Ebola and at the time Nobody believed that the Commission and the European Union could do it and that Spend of time just two months Deploy that amount of money and then we did it again on a different scale with Zika with 45 million euros And we are doing the again and again So for me is also important to be here today to show that the European member states The European project can be flexible and can answer very quickly to these global problems and Today we have several Really people around the table that I respect very much because I think that When I look at a company like Merck or other companies like Johnson and Johnson that work with us on the vaccine They are making that effort to participate in this endeavor that has to be public and private so One of the things that we are committing From these moment is basically to first of all include all our work on Ebola in the sepi And that will mean around more 50 million euros. So that's what we're planning immediately to do But secondly, I will propose myself to the member states around the table to include an additional 200 million euros for the future that will add up to the Circa 400 million that we are announcing today Until 2020 so that's a commitment of the Commission to Actually talk and propose to all member states and With that I think that we are getting here to a firepower That will make the difference so in conclusion, I think that we learned in the recent Past that is worthwhile to be prepared before an epidemic arises We learned that it's possible to be prepared and we learned that we can do more To help then actually just being prepared we have to have action and immediate action And is why sepi? Comes in is in this point action and immediate action So sepi was created to respond to these lessons and the European Commission is very proud to join these efforts So thank you very much. Thank you Commissioner. Julie. It's been already hinted at by by John Arna How important it is to have the private sector on board? So Why are you joining? What's your role? I'm very pleased to represent MSD known in North America as Merck as a member of the sepi board But I do also represent five other multinational companies that are involved in vaccine manufacturing including visor GSK Takeda Sanofi and Did I forget anyone no We operate as a coalition of multinationals in this context because we understood from the experience In the Ebola outbreak that when a crisis occurs or when large-scale capacity is necessary it really does take a multinational company with experience capacity and Commitment to be able to step up to the plate and get the job done If you go back and think about the Ebola outbreak in Western Africa in the horror of the Individual people and families who suffered such fear and in many cases loss the health workers That disruption in the government due to the economies and really on a global basis to the whole global health security Frontline and then imagine what it would have been like if there'd been a vaccine Ready to deploy in that very same situation We would have completely abrogated what was a nightmare for so many people for so long And that's really the problem that sepi is designed to prevent But by working together now to do the advanced work on vaccine development We'll have things in our hands ready to roll when we need them when the next outbreak comes along And as we've already said we can't predict what the next outbreak would be but we in the manufacturing world know How to get these things move quickly? We're hoping that through the sepi mechanism We can do much of the pre-work and the regulatory environment even up to the point of being able to stockpile precursors of the advanced vaccines But more importantly we will learn as we go and by developing new and innovative platforms or new and innovative strategies We may be able to more quickly flex from the vaccines that we have identified as our priorities to whatever vaccine We need When such a situation emerges sepi is off to a great start the commitments that were made this week are Important on a global basis to people in every nation, but they're not enough And so we look forward to additional partnerships and additional commitments so that we can really get this job done right Thank you, Julie and speaking of additional commitments We've heard that India and Norway We're founding partners and supporting sepi But the presence of representatives of Japan and Germany gives away that we have something good to announce here Yamamoto son You're representing Japan if you could share the Japanese perspective, please Okay, thank you and good morning everybody. It's my great pleasure to be here with you and Fine Japan is going to support the sepi because we believe the sepi will contribute to achieving the pandemic preparedness and universal health coverage in the world and as Joanne the jury said that's there ever an outbreak expose the fundamental fragility of in global health architecture that's in dangerous human security in In the Lancet of December 2015 prime minister Abe our prime minister stated clearly That's the construction of a global health architecture that can response to public health Crisis is one of the Japan's priority So lose a G7 presidency in 2016 That's G7 is a summer summit or G7 Kobe health ministers meeting In particular Japan has highlighted the importance pandemic preparedness and U. H. E so access to the essential tools like the vaccine is a Most in indispensable the most most important component for the these objectives But however, as everybody has already said that sir development of a new vaccine often stagnated by Market of area and we think that a single country cannot able to solve the program and we need a global mechanism to provide incentive for developers and ensures access to them So that's why Japan decided to join sepi. We're very happy to do that Unfortunately, our minister shiozaki. He cannot join this press conference. So on behalf of him I would like to announce Japan's commitment to sepi technically and the Scientifically, but in addition financially we will contribute 25 million us dollars a year Which is equivalent to 125 million in the five years. We are very happy to work. We're all over you. Thank you Thank you very much and thank you for your leadership on this State Secretary shirta You're the last speaker on the panel, but your country is one of the first that to chip in please share Germany's commitment and why you think this is important Global health figures highly on the German political agenda Now co-mentioned the G7 summit in Japan We had the G7 presidency prior to that and it was wonderful to see how we could build up momentum Carlos was there as well how we could build up momentum from Berlin to then a Japan from Germany to Japan and now to the upcoming G7 a summit in Italy to focus Amongst others on global health the G20 summit this year in Germany as well we'll pick up the the challenge of global health with a pandemic preparedness action exercise Amongst others and it is fairly clear that we have to join forces within a government with interdepartmental cooperation Our Minister of Health is here talking about anti microbial resistance I am here to talk about Abola and pandemics and the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development And puts a focus on the strengthening of health systems in quite a number of countries It's important to join forces internationally We are happy to join forces with the European Commission in the European Union Development countries clinical trials partnership EDCT P is the acronym and Sepi seems seem to us to be one of the Very straightforward initiatives to join forces to address a concrete issue and To bring all the strength of the various countries into an arena where we can make a difference And this is why we joined sepi We will we on a very short notice last year when we had budget negotiations We made it possible to chip in 10 million euro this year And we will scale it up to 20 million euro annually starting next year So there is a major commitment which will Sum up over time close to 100 million and at the same time as a sort of in kind Contribution we do have a German network on Research laboratories focusing on infectious diseases and they are ready to join forces with international colleagues to work together Thank you very much. Thank you everyone Probably with some of the most successful projects that were launched in Davos are Gavi and the global fund and we we surely hope that sepi can can can match that or even surpass But let's let's hear from you. Let's say you mentioned a lot of meetings before a lot of work went into this Let's imagine we meet here again next year or in two years. What's your hope for sepi? What would you be your ideal scenario for when we come back in one year? That's to me. I We should we should understand of course that vaccine development is it's not something we can do tomorrow and get results the day after And that's really why there is Kind of lack of market incentives because we really do not know when these vaccines are needed where they are needed Which pathogens and all of that? so My expectation is that we Still will come a long way in two years We have issued today our first call for proposals on the specific vaccine targets Then we will later issue a call on the the vaccine technology platforms So it means that we will have clear strong Programs up and running and they will already then have achieved some results I believe so I think we will expect to see results from the first The phases of clinical trials on these vaccines in two years and that is important and but in addition We will have a system and I think that is really important and I really appreciate the words of Commissioner Moedas saying that this is not Only kind of the specific efforts. It's actually the collective kind of view Behind an organization like this because we need to collaborate systematically across regulatory agencies we need to collaborate on understanding how we do clinical trials how we Kind of mobilize action in the field and all of that and and I think to have set me also as a platform for those wider dialogues across Regulators is important. Thank you very much Could I just add one thing because I think one of the concerns that I and my colleagues in the other Large multinational manufacturing and I should have mentioned Johnson and Johnson as the sixth organization in that category We are very familiar with the timeline for creating a vaccine So we have the opportunity now for a strong start in developing these three priority vaccines But please understand that we are not going to have a vaccine next year or in two years three companies Merck GSK and J&J have been working on a nabola vaccine And while we have made substantial progress in understanding the efficacy for example The Merck vaccine is looking very promising None of these vaccines have made it through the regulatory process So even when you have something that's gone through clinical trials, it takes a long time to get an approved vaccine So please understand that the commitment needs to be made now and this is a very long journey If something has occurs tomorrow such as an outbreak don't expect that sepi will be able to respond immediately But we're going to be a lot more prepared to respond by working together in Anticipation of what will be predictable surprises than if we do nothing in the interim So we are in a difficult situation of being committed, but we don't want to over promise on the timeline Thank you, Julie Let me follow up on that if you talk so you mentioned the six companies that are already involved if you talk to Fellow senior executives here in Davos from from other sectors Do you have the feeling that there's sense of urgency that's that's clearly present among this group? It's also has moved on to to other industries of the sectors I really don't I think perhaps the people who are experiencing the impact of Zika virus right now have a heightened sense of Urgency and a familiarity with the concept of what it means to have an emerging infectious disease Literally in your backyard, but inevitably and I've been doing this for a long time I've been through anthrax SARS monkey pox avian influenza and so forth when the threat subsides the attention Of even the political leadership subsides as quickly as the infectious agent does So it's really up to us the people who know and have the Responsibility to maintain that sense of urgency and we need your help in the media to advocate and create the awareness and the ongoing entrust in the concept of global emerging health threats and global health security Because that's really what this foundationally is This is another big piece of global health security for people not just in developed countries But for people everywhere in the world who are vulnerable I think I just one word I think that he's really where super national organizations have a role because we plan Longer term We have longer ten years as politicians and even if we are politicians we are on the long term and on the long run and Horizon 2020 our research program has been that so sepi I think that the results will be in all many concrete projects will we have will people look at sepi as an organization that is prepared Even and it is a long term effort But we have to be prepared and we have to accelerate that preparation even if it takes Years, but we are the accelerator and we have to show people the results of these projects And even if we are going step by step I think that today you need to inform people you need to tell them what have you done You have to explain the scientific process you live in a world where people are putting in doubt Experts and scientific processes because they don't know what science and they don't know what's the process And so I see also sepi as an educator What's the process the things that Julie was saying that people don't know in general? They think you can do it from in six months or one year And so it's also to explain and communicate will be very important for sepi. Thank you I think you want to add to that. Yes It's right to caution expectations or to manage expectations because there are so many Actors involved its basic research its proof of concept then its clinical trials Then it is the regulatory agencies then is then it is all the logistics to of bringing the vaccines to the people who need it And yet a coalition as sepi like sepi can Help to overcome the hurdles can help to speed up the process and I would like to echo Carlos This is a unique opportunity to do this if we join forces Internationally then we will be much faster than during the last crisis. We will not be there immediately But hopefully faster than in the past Thank you very much. Let's see if we have any questions on the floor. Can I get a sense? I Think we have answered all the questions already So let me let me ask one question then that came in over social media somebody asked what will the role of technology be here and Some of you already hinted to that, but maybe I have a volunteer or two to to elaborate Well, let me just say that vaccine development and manufacturing is technology So there will be a big role for technology But we're also very optimistic that this process of funding these rfps will incentivize Even the smallest Academic or biotech company to step up and try new and innovative things What we'd love to find is the platform that allows us to Create new vaccines much faster than the traditional mechanism So this is an opportunity to engage the brightest minds in creating new vaccine approaches new vaccine adjuvants new new technologies for both antigen development, but also manufacturing and deployment and even regulatory innovation But at the very heart this is all about Technology and bringing the best that science now has available to apply to an area of science where the market doesn't work to promote the Japan, Germany You want to to add to that? Yes, well Jerry has already said that what I want to say, but In addition, I think the CEPI is a wonderful platform to the researchers get together And explore each other and around each other. So maybe it's a good opportunity to overcome and also the Like my country and our prime minister and minister are convened that the CEPI initiative It's a good It's very wonderful to Give their young researchers to think about vaccine development and to join this area for the future. So And if we talk about research health research is high-tech research today. So technology is deeply involved and affected Thank you very much Mindful of the full schedules of our panelists and that we're reached the end of this press conference Thank you very much for joining This press conference on the launch of CEPI the coalition for epidemic preparedness innovations. Thank you very much