H1N1 Vaccine Supply for Poor Countries May 21
Last Friday, we shared about the meeting among key stakeholders that discussed the production of H1N1 vaccine at the headquarters of the World Health Organization.
In that feature, we mentioned in passing how the WHO is working on ensuring that poor countries are able to purchase H1N1 flu vaccines once it is produced and in the event of a pandemic. This is to protect the interest of poorer countries that will not be able to afford to pay the prices those rich countries such Canada, Denmark, France and Switzerland can pay. Most countries who can afford to do so already have signed deals with manufacturers that will give them guaranteed supply of pandemic vaccines as soon as these are available.
The WHO is encouraging manufacturers to reserve a portion of their future production of pandemic vaccines for the purpose of donating or selling these vaccines at a discounted rate to poorer countries. There have been few offers, though, which is being attributed to the fact that an effective H1N1 flu vaccine is months away from production.
What the WHO is asking from companies is to donate at least 10% of their production or offer their products at a discounted rate for poor countries. Some companies are yet unsure about what these commitments mean to their business.
There are some victories as British company GlaxoSmithKline PLC has reportedly committed to donating 50 million doses of vaccine in the event of a pandemic and has agreed to offer more on top of the initial donation that the WHO can buy at a cheaper rate for the benefit of poor countries.
There is also reportedly a second deal in the works, where a yet unnamed manufacturer who has limited production capacity might share half of its vaccine doses. There are also several small manufacturers who have agreed to sell 10% of their vaccines to the UN at a discounted rate.
Tags: H1N1, h1n1 flu, H1N1 pandemic, H1N1 vaccine, swine flu, tamiflu, world health