Resources

Vaccine adjuvants play a critical role in enhancing immune responses, enabling dose-sparing and fewer immunizations, and providing more durable protection. However, in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), vaccine developers must contend with challenges such as cost restraints, limited cold-chain infrastructure, manufacturing scalability, and programmatic complexity.Intended for LMIC vaccine manufacturers, this PATH-organized two-part webinar provides an overview of vaccine adjuvants, highlighting how adjuvants can enhance immune responses and support manufacturers in addressing these region-specific vaccination challenges. Topics include adjuvant types, immunological principles and mechanisms of action, regulatory considerations, manufacturing challenges, and strategies to improve vaccine efficacy and access.The session features dialogue among researchers, vaccine manufacturers, adjuvant developers, and regulatory teams focused on the advancement, development, approval, and deployment of suitable adjuvants tailored for LMIC needs.Speakers include:Lakshmi Khandke, PhD, Senior Program Advisor, Vaccines CMC, Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access, PATHDerek O’Hagan, PhD, Head of Vaccine Adjuvants and Delivery Systems, GSKMark Alderson, PhD, CSO and US Site Director, Maxvax BiotechnologyJulie Jospeh, PhD, Senior Biologist/Evaluator, Health Canada Centre for Vaccines, Clinical Trials, and BiostatisticsDaniel Fullen, PhD, Lead, R&D Innovations, Center for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)Dennis Christensen, PhD, Head of Global Research and Development, Adjuvant Systems, Croda PharmaWolfgang Leitner, DSc, Chief of the Innate immunity Section of the Basic immunology Branch/Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)Jay Evans, PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific & Strategy Officer, Inimmune Corporation and Director of the Center for Translational Medicine, University of Montana

The Pandemic Fund, hosted by the World Bank, provides long-term financing to strengthen the capacities of low- and middle-income countries to prevent, detect, and respond to future pandemics. It was established in 2022 to address gaps exposed by COVID-19 and support investments in disease surveillance systems, laboratory networks, emergency response capacity, health workforce training, and One Health systems linking human, animal, and environmental health.This brief, part of a series on Global health financing for oxygen systems, is intended to support applicants, partners, civil society, and others in developing funding requests and/or advocating for prioritization of medical oxygen, pulse oximetry, and respiratory therapies in Pandemic Fund applications. It builds from previous efforts to support oxygen inclusion in Pandemic Fund proposals.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) has become the largest source of external donor funding for medical oxygen, pulse oximetry, and respiratory therapies in low- and middle-income countries. Between 2021 and 2025, the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism invested around US$564 million to expand access to oxygen in over 80 low- and middle-income countries, financing more than 300 oxygen plants and training over 1,000 health professionals across almost 500 health facilities.This brief, part of a series on Global health financing for oxygen systems, is intended to support applicants, partners, civil society, and others in developing funding requests and/or advocating for prioritization of medical oxygen, pulse oximetry, and respiratory therapies in grants from the Global Fund. It builds from previous efforts to support oxygen inclusion in Global Fund proposals.

Accessing low-interest loans and grants from multilateral development banks (MDBs) to strengthen national medical oxygen systems is achievable with careful preparation, strong alignment to national priorities, and proactive engagement with MDB processes. By structuring robust project proposals based on costed national medical oxygen plans, governments can unlock significant concessional financing to build resilient, sustainable oxygen infrastructure—ultimately saving lives and strengthening health systems for future challenges.This brief, part of a series on Global health financing for oxygen systems, is intended to support applicants, partners, civil society, and others in developing funding requests and/or advocating for prioritization of medical oxygen, pulse oximetry, and respiratory therapies in development bank grants and loans.

The Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents (GFF), housed at the World Bank Group (WBG), was established in 2015 with the vision to end preventable maternal and child deaths. Over the past decade, US$2.5 billion in GFF grants has leveraged more than $11 billion in additional WBG financing to expand access to lifesaving care in 38 countries.This brief, part of a series on Global health financing for oxygen systems, is intended to support government officials, development partners, civil society, and other stakeholders in advocating for prioritization of medical oxygen, pulse oximetry, and respiratory therapies in investment cases for women’s, children’s, and adolescent health and nutrition in GFF partner countries. It builds from previous efforts to support oxygen inclusion in investment cases for GFF partner countries.