Abu Dhabi, April 9, 2025 – Health authorities, public and private manufacturers, civil society and experts highlighted existing capacities and the importance of continuing strengthening regional efforts for innovation and production of health technologies in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Specialists convened in a discussion panel organized by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) - with the support of Global Affairs Canada -at the 2025 WHO Third World Local Production Forum (WLPF) in Abu Dhabi. The panel, titled "Regional Innovation and Production for Access and Self-sufficiency" provided an opportunity for representatives of the health, innovation and production ecosystem of the Region of the Americas to share experiences with this global audience, as part of PAHO’s efforts to make regional challenges and opportunities visible.
The panel was chaired by Judit Rius Sanjuan, Director of PAHO’s Department of Innovation, Access to Medicines, and Health Technologies (IMT), and included Dr. The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott, Minister of Health and Wellness from Barbados; Ing. Cristina Lara, National Director of Medicines and Medical Technologies of Cuba , Carolina Gomez, Director of Think Tank Medicines, Information, and Power at the National University of Colombia; Saulo Simoni Nacif, President & CEO of Butantan Foundation; Dr. Ruben Abete, General Secretary of the Latin American Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry; and Nicolo Gligo, Economic Affairs Officer from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC/CEPAL).
To build enabling ecosystems that foster innovation and production, panelists emphasized the relevance of sustained political commitment, coherent policies, and long-term planning, aligning innovation and production strategies with public health needs. Simultaneously, to reduce dependency and improve equitable access to health technologies, specialists called for regional and coordinated action across countries.
The panel also underlined the need for stronger coordination across sectors and targeted investments in research and infrastructure to expand production. It emphasized the role of the stakeholders throughout the ecosystem -academic, public, and private actors- to build partnerships and value chains.
Technology transfer was identified as a key element to strengthen production, including access to knowledge, data, and materials, not only licenses, and contract clauses for safeguards and early-stage collaboration. Enabling such conditions is essential to ensure that innovation efforts support sustainable manufacturing and equitable access, according to the panel participants.
The insights from this panel discussion will contribute to the recommendations under development by the Third WHO World Local Production Forum, guiding future strategic actions to improve regional innovation and public health preparedness.
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