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Financing Immunization
Promoting the development of vaccines for low-income
and middle-income countries
The challenge: unmet needs
| There is an unacceptable toll of infectious
diseases in developing countries. A major global effort is under
way to accelerate the development and introduction of vaccines
against such killers as diarrhoeal diseases, HIV/AIDS, malaria,
tuberculosis among others. However, research and development
(R&D;) for vaccines and products primarily needed in the developing
world attracts little interest from companies who are looking
for returns on their investment. Some industrialized country
governments do support R&D; targeted at developing countries’
health needs, but the amount is minimal relative to the need,
and is dwarfed by the amount spent on the needs of rich countries.
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| Rotavirus
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For example, less than $350 million is spent each
year on HIV/AIDS prevention through vaccine research, compared with
billions spent on R&D for drugs to treat the disease. And less
than $60 million is spent on vaccine development against malaria,
a disease that kills a million people a year.
The Task Force’s contribution
The GAVI Board has asked the Financing Task Force
to develop and implement appropriate financial and market-based
strategies to accelerate the development, scale-up, and affordable
pricing of three vaccines against major diseases in developing countries
that are near to completion. These vaccines will protect infants
from: pneumococcus, meningococcus A, and rotavirus. It is expected
that this work will pave the way for future investments, which will
accelerate the availability of vaccines against HIV, TB and malaria.
Through this work, the FTF is specifically working to identify novel
and creative financial strategies that will enhance the development,
manufacture, and availability of priority vaccines that will reach
the poor.
Resources
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Accelerating new vaccines: an issues paper. Amie Batson,
Sarah Glass and Ruth Levine. 2001
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Background papers:
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- Accelerating an AIDS vaccine for developing countries:
issues and options for the World Bank Martha Ainsworth,
Amie Batson and Sandra Rosenhouse, 1999
- Accelerating an AIDS vaccine for developing countries:
recommendations for the World Bank [February 28, Martha
Ainsworth, Amie Batson, Geoffrey Lamb and Sandra Rosenhouse]
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