R&D Blueprint and COVID-19
The current COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented, but the global response draws on the lessons learned from other disease outbreaks over the past several decades.
As part of WHO’s response, the R&D Blueprint was activated to accelerate diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics for this novel coronavirus. The Blueprint aims to improve coordination between scientists and global health professionals, accelerate the research and development process, and develop new norms and standards to learn from and improve upon the global response.
On 30 January 2020, following the recommendations of the Emergency Committee, the WHO Director-General declared that the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
World scientists on COVID-19 then met at the World Health Organization’s Geneva headquarters on 11–12 February 2020 to assess the current level of knowledge about the new virus, agree on critical research questions that need to be answered urgently, and to find ways to work together to accelerate and fund priority research to curtail this outbreak and prepare for those in the future.
The discussion led to an agreement on two main goals. The first was to accelerate innovative research to help contain the spread of the epidemic and facilitate care for those affected. The second was to support research priorities that contribute to global research platforms in hopes of learning from the current pandemic response to better prepare for the next unforeseen epidemic.
Building on the response to recent outbreaks of Ebola virus disease, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, the R&D Blueprint has facilitated a coordinated and accelerated response to COVID-19, including an unprecedented program to develop a vaccine, research into potential pharmaceutical treatments and strengthened channels for information sharing between countries.
Highlights
Vaccines
WHO Working Group – Vaccine Prioritization for COVID-19 Vaccines
WHO Working Group – Target Product Profiles for COVID-19 Vaccines
WHO Working Group – Core Protocol for vaccines against COVID-19
WHO Working Group – Vaccine R&D for COVID-19 Vaccines
WHO Working Group – Animal Models
WHO Working Group – Viruses, Reagents and Immune assays
COVID-19 Living map of ongoing research
Studies per country, showing study design, type of vaccine, study phase and type of patients.
An international randomised trial of candidate vaccines against COVID-19
Draft landscape of COVID-19 candidate vaccines
Global animal laboratories capacities to support vaccine and therapeutic evaluation
Criteria for COVID-19 vaccine prioritization
WHO Target Product Profiles for COVID-19 Vaccines
Overview of the types/classes of candidate vaccines against MERS-CoV
Overview of the types/classes of candidate vaccines against SARS-CoV
WHO R&D Blueprint novel Coronavirus (nCov) Vaccine prioritization for clinical trials
WHO R&D Blueprint: novel Coronavirus: prospects for evaluating cross-reactivity of nCoV with…
WHO Consultation on Cross-Reactivity with other coronaviruses
COVID-19 Animal Models – Summary of progress made by the WHO COVID-19 modelling (March-04…
Summary of progress made by the WHO assays for vaccines group of experts (18 March – 1 April)
COVID-19 Animal Models – Summary of progress made by the WHO COVID-19 modelling (15-26 March…
COVID-19 Animal Models – Summary of progress made by the WHO COVID-19 modelling (27 February…
Therapeutics
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Studies per country, showing study design, disease severity in study participants, and type of treatment being studied, as well as network maps of these studies.
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List of treatment comparisons, a summary of the evidence for that comparison, and a detailed description of primary studies, including a risk of bias assessment.
COVID-19 Therapeutic Trial Synopsis
An international randomised trial of additional treatments for COVID-19 in hospitalised patients…
Targeted Update: Safety and efficacy of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for treatment of…
COVID 19 candidate treatments
Outline of designs for experimental vaccines and therapeutics
WHO target product profiles for COVID-19 therapeutics
Informal consultation on the potential inclusion of Sofosbuvir/Daclatasvir in a clinical trial – 19 June 2020
Informal consultation on the potential inclusion of Immunomodulators in a clinical trial – 13 May 2020
Informal consultation on the dose of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine for the SOLIDARITY Clinical…
Clinical Trial Design Working Group – consultation on immunomodulators – 7th May 2020
Informal consultation on the potential inclusion of Immunomodulators in a clinical trial – 6 May 2020
Informal consultation on the role of therapeutics in COVID-19 prophylaxis and post-exposure…
Informal consultation on the role of therapeutics in COVID-19 prophylaxis and post-exposure…
Informal consultation on the role of therapeutics in COVID-19 prophylaxis and post-exposure…
Informal consultation on the potential role of interleukin-6 blockers in the clinical management of…
Informal consultation on the role of therapeutics in COVID-19 prophylaxis and post-exposure…
Ethics
Ethical considerations to guide the use of digital proximity tracking technologies for COVID-19 contact tracing
Guidance for research ethics committees for rapid review of research during public health emergencies
Key criteria for the ethical acceptability of COVID-19 human challenge studies
Ethical standards for research during public health emergencies: Distilling existing guidance to support COVID-19 R&D
Q&As
Social Science
COVID-19 Social Science working group
Perceptions of Healthcare Workers regarding local infection prevention and control procedures for COVID-19: Research protocol
Working with Community Advisory Boards for COVID-19 related clinical studies
R&D Good Participatory Practice for COVID-19 clinical trials: a toolbox
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