After a three-day consultation on Zika research and development, international experts, convened by WHO, have agreed on top priorities to advance R&D for Zika medical products. As of March 2, around 67 companies and research institutions were already working on a number of products (31 on diagnostics, 18 on vaccines, 8 on therapeutics, 10 on vector control), which are at various stages of early development. No vaccine or therapeutic has yet been tested on humans, reports who.int. Experts agreed that the development of a vaccine is a major priority to respond to epidemics in the future. Vaccination of pregnant women and women of childbearing age is the main target, and pragmatic strategies will be needed to fast-track the development of a safe and effective product. Work is underway for the development of an emergency vaccine target product profile to serve as a guide to consult and build consensus on regulatory requirements for Zika vaccine evaluation and registration. Over 30 companies are working on or have developed potential diagnostic tests.
