G20 set to commit to cutting period to develop vaccines in pandemic- draft

FILE PHOTO: A nurse draws a dose of the BioNtech vaccine against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a vaccination centre at the Dresden Fair, in Dresden, Germany, July 29, 2021. REUTERS/Matthias Rietschel

ROME/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Leaders of the world's 20 largest economies are set to commit to supporting efforts to shorten to 100 days the period needed to develop new vaccines, drugs and tests in a pandemic, according to a draft joint document.

In normal circumstances developing vaccines takes more than a decade, but the COVID-19 pandemic spurred an unprecedented rush in research, trials and regulatory procedures that made it possible to have vaccines ready in less than a year.