CEPI funds Aga Khan University-led consortium to conduct mix-and-match trial of COVID-19 vaccines in Pakistan

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the Aga Khan University (AKU) announced a new collaboration to conduct a clinical trial of heterologous – or ‘mix-and-match’ – combinations of Covid-19 vaccines in Pakistan. CEPI will provide funding for the project to an international consortium led by AKU, comprising the National Institute of Health in Pakistan (NIH), University of Oxford, the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and Harvard Medical School. "We are delighted to begin working with Dr. Qamar of the Aga Khan University, and the National Institute of Health in CEPI’s first partnership in Pakistan, in conjunction with our established partners at IVI and the University of Oxford," said Dr. Richard Hatchett, Chief Executive Officer of CEPI. Data on mix-and-match combinations of these vaccines, which are commonly used in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), are urgently needed to contribute to the design of more flexible vaccination strategies.