Report of the sixth general meeting of the WHO national control laboratory network for biologicals, Cairo, Egypt, 26-28 November 2024

Overview

The sixth general meeting of the World Health Organization – National Control Laboratory Network for Biologicals (WHO-NNB) was held in Cairo, Egypt, from 26 to 27 November 2024 with support from the Egyptian Drug Authority.

The meeting was attended by 120 participants from 57 Member States across all six WHO regions, including representatives from regional and international organizations, industry associations and partners.

The meeting offered a forum to share practical experiences on the theme “Reliance through transparency and trust” to facilitate access to quality-assured vaccines in low- and middle-income countries. It also provided WHO-NNB members and partners with an important opportunity for exchange of knowledge and best practices in strengthening regulatory capacity and quality monitoring in order to ensure the highest standards in the production and release of vaccines.

The WHO-NNB provides a unique platform for sharing best practices and promoting regulatory reliance on lot release to avoid redundant testing of quality assured vaccines. The network has witnessed significant growth in membership from 15 in 2017 to 56 in 2024, clearly demonstrating the need for work and information-sharing in laboratory testing and lot release for timely access to safe, effective and quality-assured vaccines.