Vaccines

Abstract

Vaccines are, without question, one of the most cost-effective and socially acceptable health interventions yet developed and expanding vaccine coverage is a key enabling strategy for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. As a challenge, the expanded and effective use of existing vaccines sits alongside the development of new and improved vaccines for preventing diseases which continue to have a major impact on humanity – diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Because vaccine development is stringently controlled by regulatory authorities and the costs of producing new vaccines have increased significantly, responsibility for new vaccine development now typically rests with the larger pharmaceutical companies who have the resources and risk appetite to support the clinical testing program that is essential for licensure. Where this doesn’t occur, development of so-called ‘orphan’ vaccines is supported by the major philanthropic agencies, often in collaboration with institutes such as the International Vaccine Institute in Korea. Animal vaccines are similarly becoming concentrated within global animal health companies.