Canada’s new pandemic preparedness agency aims to speed up vaccine development
It will co-ordinate efforts between Canadian industry and academic researchers as well as with international partners.
The federal Liberal government is establishing a new agency to enhance Canada’s ability to manage rapidly spreading infectious diseases and better prepare for future pandemics.
The new agency, called Health Emergency Readiness Canada, will focus on strengthening Canada’s life-sciences sector and ensuring faster access to vaccines, medical treatments, and diagnostics by speeding up the transition from research to commercialization.
It will coordinate efforts among Canadian industries, academic researchers, and international partners. This move mirrors a 2021 initiative by the European Union, which created an agency to both prepare for pandemics and learn from the missteps of the COVID-19 response.
Once fully operational, the agency will implement an “industrial game plan” to quickly mobilize research and industry if another health emergency, such as a pandemic, occurs.
Canada was ill-prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic, with outdated stockpiles of emergency supplies and a nearly non-existent domestic vaccine production industry.
