Welcome to Infection and Immunity - Evidence Explained, a Doherty Institute podcast. Each fortnight we bring you the latest news and information on all things infectious diseases and immunology from the Doherty Institute and our collaborators.
Join us as we talk with world-leading experts to discuss the latest scientific and public health evidence around emerging and endemic diseases, from COVID-19 and Buruli ulcer, to HIV and the flu.
Bonus Episode: Where Are We Now On Global Pandemic Preparedness?
In this bonus episode of Off Script, we examine the evolving state of global pandemic preparedness. In 2025, World Health Organization Member States adopted the first-ever Pandemic Agreement. However, a critical component — the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system — remains unresolved, with negotiations ongoing.
With next week’s World Health Assembly in Geneva set to focus on these issues, this episode brings you a special panel discussion moderated by New York Times global health and science writer Apoorva Mandavilli. Recorded in November 2025, global leaders in pandemic science explore where progress has been made, what challenges remain, and what happens next in strengthening global pandemic preparedness.
What you’ll learn
Learnings from COVID-19 – the need for speed, effective vaccines, therapeutics, and surveillance, and what the world should do differently next time.
The role of governments – a call for pandemic preparedness investment on par with defence spending, and for the global scientific community to lead where political action lags.
Equity and access – proposals for a global pandemic fund and tiered pricing models to ensure equitable access across low-, middle-, and high-income countries.
Predictions for future pandemics – discussion on the pathogens most likely to cause the next global outbreak, and debate over whether host-targeted therapies or direct-acting antivirals will be more effective.
Featured Experts
Professor Sharon Lewin – Director of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics
Professor David Ho – Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Columbia University
Professor Linfa Wang – Director of the Emerging Infectious Diseases Programme, Duke-NUS Medical School
Professor Nanshan Zhong – Director of the National Clinical Research Centre of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Laboratory
Apoorva Mandavilli – Global Health and Science Writer, The New York Times
This bonus episode of Off Script is hosted by Rebecca Elliott and produced by the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics, part of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity.
Keep up to date on our work via https://www.doherty.edu.au/cumming-global-centre-for-pandemic-therapeutics (https://www.doherty.edu.au/cumming-global-centre-for-pandemic-therapeutics).
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
19 Oct 2025
The Future We Could Have
Off Script Episode 5: The Future We Could Have
Off Script is brought to you by the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics.
Episode Summary
In the final episode of this five-part series, we imagine the pandemic future we could have if we start preparing now. With therapeutic drugs ready before the next pandemic hits, we could keep more people out of hospital, help economies stay resilient, and make better-informed decisions about public health measures. This episode brings together Australia's leading health economists, policymakers, and scientists to explore how pandemic therapeutics fit into comprehensive pandemic preparedness.
What You'll Learn:
Economic blind spot - How Australia's pre-pandemic plans overlooked economic impacts.
The $3 billion weekly cost - Quantifying lockdowns' massive economic impact and how therapeutics could dramatically reduce restrictive measures in future pandemics.
Risk-based decision making - Why having treatments available transforms political leaders' risk calculations, enabling more nuanced responses than "zero tolerance" approaches.
Trust and communication challenges - Lessons from COVID-19 on science communication, why advice changes as evidence evolves, and building public trust for future pandemic responses.
Platform technology promise - How preparedness investments in foundational research infrastructure could enable rapid response to unknown future pathogens.
CDC establishment - Australia's new Centre for Disease Control and how it will coordinate research, evidence, and rapid response for future pandemics.
Equity and accessibility imperative - Why therapeutics must be widely available and trusted to truly make a difference, especially for the most vulnerable populations.
Global investment reality - The scale of funding needed for pandemic preparedness and why the returns far outweigh the costs.
Featured Experts
Dr. Angela Jackson - Health economist and co-leader of Australia's independent COVID-19 inquiry, revealing how economic planning failures prolonged lockdowns and why therapeutic availability changes everything for future pandemic management.
Professor Michael Kidd - Australia's Chief Medical Officer, outlining the comprehensive infrastructure being built for pandemic preparedness, from the Australian CDC to international research collaborations.
Professor Brett Sutton - Former Victorian Chief Health Officer and current CSIRO researcher, exploring the science communication challenges ahead and how therapeutics could provide crucial protection for society's most vulnerable.
Professor Sharon Lewin - Doherty Institute Director, assessing Australia's pandemic preparedness progress while highlighting the trust and global cooperation challenges that remain.
Off Script is hosted by Dr. Matt Agnew and produced by the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics, part of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity.
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
12 Oct 2025
Global Health Equity
Off Script Episode 4: Global Health Equity
Off Script is brought to you by the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics.
Episode Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic hit many developing countries especially hard, overwhelming already stretched health systems while devastating tourism-dependent economies. Looking ahead, widely available therapeutics could be game-changers – keeping people out of hospitals, easing pressure on health systems, and helping keep economies open. This episode explores the global collaboration needed to ensure pandemic preparedness reaches everyone, everywhere.
What You'll Learn:
Pacific resilience - How Pacific Island nations' experience with natural disasters creates unique strengths and vulnerabilities in pandemic response.
Health system flexibility - Why limited resources sometimes breed innovation, and how Pacific health workers adapt to multiple crisis situations.
Therapeutic advantage - How having treatments available could help countries reopen borders and return to normal faster than vaccines alone.
Global collaboration in action - The cross-border support systems that make Pacific pandemic response possible, from emergency medical teams to resource sharing.
Pandemic agreement breakthrough - The world's second global health treaty and how it will ensure equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics.
The preparedness gap - Why high-income countries failed while some "poorly prepared" nations succeeded, and what this teaches us about true pandemic readiness.
Investment ecosystem revealed - The complex pipeline from university research to patient treatment, and why all stages matter.
Featured Experts
Dr. Gina Samaan - WHO Regional Emergency Director explaining how Pacific health systems adapt to constant challenges and why therapeutics are crucial for future preparedness
Professor Michel Kazatchkine - Former Global Fund Executive Director and Member of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness, sharing lessons from COVID-19's devastating impact on global health programs.
The technology exists. The investment is flowing. The question now is: will we be ready?
Off Script is hosted by Dr. Matt Agnew and produced by the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics, part of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity.
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
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