How Flanders played a crucial part in vaccinating the world
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Flanders – Belgium’s northern region – has been closely involved in the development, production and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Due to the presence of major pharma firms in the region who were able to conduct swift clinical trials, not to mention Brussels Airport being certified as a Centre of Excellence in Pharmaceutical Logistics, over 1 billion vaccines have passed through Flanders since November 2020.
Groundbreaking research and swift trials
Back in 2020, big pharma players such as Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson were able to build upon the considerable expertise, workforce and infrastructure that Flanders has to offer in their search for a vaccine against COVID-19. Once successful progress was made, several hospital centers in the region were put to work testing potent vaccines on human volunteers.
At a certain point, these initiatives in Belgium and Flanders accounted for almost a quarter of all vaccine candidate clinical trials in Europe. One thing’s clear: Flanders’ ecosystem was put to the test and it passed with flying colors, allowing companies worldwide to accelerate the search for vaccines in a tangible way.
Advanced know-how and production facilities
Belgium and its northern region Flanders rank number one globally for the number of vaccine doses produced per capita. Once Pfizer’s vaccine proved effective, the company called on its manufacturing site in Puurs (Flanders) to become one of four main centers for vaccine production, and they successfully escalated their output to produce as much of it as possible.
Furthermore, CEPI – a global institute invested in preventing epidemics – issued a call to different companies throughout Belgium and Flanders to help set in motion and expand production as soon as the vaccines were approved.
An important pharmaceutical hub
Two factors that proved invaluable in the fight against COVID-19 were Flanders’ strategic location and the expertise and state-of-the-art facilities that Brussels Airport has to offer. Thanks to Brussels Airport’s certification as a Centre of Excellence in Pharmaceutical Logistics, it has served as a hub through which more than one billion vaccines have passed to Europe and beyond.
What’s more, the efforts of numerous partners working together tirelessly ensured that the vaccines would be transported safely and successfully.
What's next?
In March 2022, a unique research center known as Vaccinopolis opened its doors in Flanders. Here, secure and sealed off from the outside world, researchers at Antwerp University can test vaccines against a wide array of infectious diseases, and even safely conduct somewhat riskier but ultimately imperative controlled human infection model (CHIM) studies.
In light of Flanders’ world-class research facilities and scientific knowledge, innovations such as these are par for the course in the region, and there is no doubt that many more are sure to follow.
Discover Flanders’ life sciences & health ecosystem at Flanders360.
