The Children's Vaccine Initiative and vaccine supply: the role of the public sector

Abstract

'Children represent the most vulnerable segment of every society--and they are our present and future. Good health, especially of children, promotes personal and national development. Scientific progress, matched with improved capacities of all countries to immunize their children, provides an unparalleled opportunity to save additional lives and prevent additional millions of disabilities annually through a Children's Vaccine Initiative.' (The Netherlands Minister for Development Co-operation.)

PIP: An inadequate research and development capacity exists for the new and improved vaccines needed for developing countries. This places a very high burden on the public sector. The September 1990 Children's Vaccine Initiative is a positive step, but, it only facilitates information exchange rather than being action oriented. Developing countries need heat stable cocktail vaccines to prevent the most important infectious diseases. They also need slow release vaccines to reduce the number of vaccinations. Besides, vaccination is the most cost=effective means for governments to prevent infectious diseases. Yet, little research and development into these much needed vaccines is being done. Commercial reasons (especially, low profitability) preclude drug companies' involvement, leaving international organizations and governments to improve the situation. Therefore, governments must determine their vaccine needs and then increase financial support for research and development. The commercial sector should do large-scale production of new vaccines. Long term contracts for vaccination programs in various countries between private companies and governments and international agencies, e.g., UNICEF, should result in affordable vaccine prices. The only developing countries that should become involved in large-scale local production are China and Indonesia, since they have the human resources to adapt to transferred technology. The public sector through a partnership with the private sector should conduct research and provide scientific and technical support to developing countries and international agencies. For example, the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries have formed a consortium to develop vaccines for the developing world. The European Community should coordinate vaccine strategy. The Netherlands National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection is prepared to coordinate support for developing countries, as it now does for vaccine projects in China and Indonesia, and to work with the private sector to develop new and improved vaccines.