IVI and Panama
Member State Relations
On 28 October 1996, the Permanent Representative of Panama to the United Nations, H.E. George E. Illueca, signed the IVI Establishment Agreement.
On 12 October 2022, the National Assembly of Panama approved law number 882, ratifying the IVI Establishment Agreement.
On 27 December 2022, Panama deposited an instrument of ratification to the IVI Establishment Agreement with the United Nations.
On 27 March 2023, IVI and H.E. Athanasio Kosmas Sifaki, Ambassador of Panama to the Republic of Korea, hosted a flag raising ceremony at IVI Headquarters.
Panamanian Leadership at IVI
At the 2023 inaugural meeting of the IVI Global Council, Panama was represented by H.E. Athanasio Kosmas Sifaki, Ambassador of Panama to the Republic of Korea.
Ongoing Collaboration
Chikungunya Vaccine Development
IVI’s Global Chikungunya vaccine Clinical Development Program (GCCDP) was initiated in June 2020 in partnership with Bharat Biotech in India to advance Bharat’s chikungunya vaccine candidate with the ultimate goal of achieving WHO prequalification and emergency use listing. This program involves a Phase II/III randomized, controlled vaccine clinical trial with an adaptive and seamless design to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a two-dose regimen of BBV87 chikungunya vaccine in healthy subjects aged 12-65 years in five countries across Asia and Latin America, including Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, and Thailand. These studies are running in parallel to Bharat Biotech’s clinical trials in India as part of the global clinical development plan of BBV87 vaccine.
From November 2022 to February 2023, the team finalized data sets for Parts A and B of the study. Subsequently, the third Data and Safety Monitoring Board meeting concluded in May 2023 with no identified safety issues. The optimal dose for Part C has been selected and supported by the immunogenicity and safety data and results of the non-human primate study. Beginning 2024, recruitment for Part C will be initiated and consultations with WHO entities, NRAs, and National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) will continue.
In December 2023, IVI convened the first Chikungunya Global Stakeholder Meeting in Panama in partnership with Gorgas Institute, bringing together stakeholders across government, research and development, and industry to map a comprehensive landscape of the problem of chikungunya and to advocate for the recognition, approval, and support of a global chikungunya vaccine agenda.
GCCDP is conducting clinical trials alongside VaxTRIALS and CEVAXIN in the cities of Chorrera and 24 de Diciembre, Panama.
MOU between IVI, Baylor College of Medicine, and the Regional Center for Innovation in Vaccines and Biopharmaceuticals (CRIVB) AIP
On May 8, 2024 IVI, Baylor, and CRIVB AIP signed an MOU to strengthen capabilities in the vaccine sciences and the biopharmaceutical research & development industry in Panama and the greater Latin America region. Through training and other workforce development programs, highlighting key aspects of the biotechnology continuum such as technological transfers, international regulatory requirements, and vaccine product development and manufacturing, the partners look forward to bolstering a holistic and sustainable bio-industry ecosystem in Panama and the region.