PHA-Exchange> New plan will buy US$200 million in vaccines for poorest countries

[claudio at hcmc.netnam.vn]

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/29/europe/EU_MED_Germany_Vaccine_Aid.php

New plan will buy US$200 million in vaccines for poorest countries
The Associated Press
Published: November 29, 2006

BERLIN: An international organization working to increasing vaccination in the 
developing world said 
Wednesday it would devote US$200 million to help poor countries protect 
children against 
pneumococcus and rotavirus — two leading causes of preventable childhood 
death.

Officials of the Geneva-based GAVI Alliance said at a news conference in 
Berlin that they hoped to 
overcome barriers that often lead to years-long delays before new vaccines 
introduced in the 
wealthier parts of the world are put into use in the world's poorest countries.

Pneumococcus is a major cause of pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis, or blood 
poisoning, while 
rotavirus causes diarrhea and vomiting. Together, they kill an estimated 1.5 
million children each year.

"This new investment in child health care will bring new, live-saving vaccines 
to the developing 
world faster than ever before," said Orin Levine, executive director of GAVI's 
PneumoADIP program 
aimed at pneumococcus and located at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of 
Public Heath in the 
United States.

He predicted the effort could save some 4 million children through 2025.

The money comes from GAVI's partners, which include national governments, the 
World Bank and the 
World Heath Organization, UNICEF, and non-governmental organizations.

The new vaccines will be introduced beginning next year — against rotavirus 
in 13 countries in Latin 
America and Eastern Europe and against pneumococcal vaccine in up to 10 
eligible countries in Africa 
and South Asia.

One reason vaccine availability lags is cost, as new vaccines are generally 
more expensive when they 
are first introduced; other factors are inadequate infrastructure and lack of 
planning.

The oral vaccines against rotavirus are RotaTeq, made by Merck, and Rotarix, 
created by AVANT and 
licensed to GlaxoSmithKline. The pneumococcus vaccine is Prevnar, manufactured 
by Lederle 
Laboratories Division and marketed by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.



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