The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the launch of the sixth edition of its Virtual cGMP Training Marathon, organized by the Local Production & Assistance (LPA) Unit under the leadership of Dr. Jicui Dong. Scheduled from 9 September to 2 October 2025, this year’s program is themed “Building Blocks for Sustained Excellence” and aims to strengthen the fundamental knowledge and skills necessary for maintaining consistent compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in local production settings. The topics covered are relevant to both pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing, ensuring practical applicability across these sectors.
Building on a successful initiative that began in 2020, this year’s marathon emphasizes refreshing core cGMP principles and quality system fundamentals for technical professionals involved in pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing. The goal is to support sustained regulatory compliance and operational excellence across different regions worldwide. This continuation reflects WHO’s commitment to enhancing quality standards in local production on a global scale.
The training will be delivered over eight virtual sessions spread across four weeks, with two sessions held each week. These interactive sessions will address essential topics such as data integrity, pharmaceutical quality systems, cleaning validation, aseptic processing, and technology transfer. Content is grounded in WHO guidelines, industry best practices, and real-world case studies to ensure that participants gain relevant and practical insights.
The program targets technical professionals working in vaccine, biopharmaceutical, and pharmaceutical manufacturing, including those involved in development, production, quality assurance, quality control, and regulatory affairs. Additionally, officials from national regulatory authorities, ministries of health, and ministries of industry are encouraged to participate, broadening the impact of the training to key decision-makers.
Registration is mandatory and spaces are limited, with priority given to participants from low- and middle-income countries. Selected candidates will receive detailed participation information and, upon successful completion, a certificate acknowledging their achievement. This selective process ensures that those who will most benefit from the training have access to it.
The Virtual cGMP Training Marathon is a central component of WHO’s ongoing efforts to support countries in strengthening local production capabilities, improving access to quality-assured health products, and enhancing health security in both routine and emergency contexts. By equipping professionals with robust cGMP knowledge, WHO helps Member States develop and sustain national and regional manufacturing capacities aligned with international quality standards.
This year’s edition supports WHO’s 14th General Programme of Work, which underpins the organization’s broader health equity strategy through 2028. The training promotes the establishment of sustainable and high-quality manufacturing systems globally, contributing to WHO’s mission of advancing health equity worldwide.ax
