Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - (Page 7) Vaccines for the rest of the world Pharmaceutical Executive’s Joanna Breitstein reports on pharma’s ongoing quest to formulate an equation that bridges health and wealth. V accination rates have long been dismally low outside of rich countries. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), vaccines costing pennies per dose could prevent some 20% of the seven million child deaths each year, but fail to because they don’t reach the people in need. In the last few years, however, things have started to change: deaths from measles worldwide fell 74% between 2000 and 2007. The rate of polio, which afflicted 350,000 people per year as recently as 1988, has dropped 99% (the disease is expected to be eradicated within five years). And countries that have introduced mumps vaccination have seen cases drop from between 100 to 1,000 per 100,000 population to less than one per 100,000. People in western markets can of course access these promising vaccines, but the real opportunity to prevent human suffering is in the developing world. For that to happen, pharma needs not just next-generation vaccines, but a whole new approach to R&D and access for the poor. A confluence of political will, funding, and innovation have now made these goals more possible than ever. For example: • In 2000, 192 United Nations member states and more than 20 international organisations agreed to eight Millennium Development Goals — including the goal of reducing mortality of children under five by two-thirds before 2015. • The field of vaccines has been transformed by the GAVI Alliance (formerly known as the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations), which has worked with stakeholders from NGOs — including the Gates Foundation — pharma companies, and governments to increase the use of underutilised vaccines and introduce new ones. Part of GAVI’s approach is Merck’s Dr Mark Feinberg (centre) administrates RotaTeq to an infant in Nicaragua. to educate developing nations on the burden of disease, and to ensure they pay co-payments on vaccines. • The battles pharma has fought with the developing world over AIDS drugs and intellectual property have been damaging to the industry — and have taught it a lesson. 1 7 NEWS VACCINES 2 11 FROM THE EDITOR / NEWS STRATEGY 5 CALENDAR 6 BRUSSELS REPORT 12 ONLINE NETWORKING 15 ON THE MOVE
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 Contents From the Editor News Calendar Brussels Report Vaccines Management Theory Online Networking On the Move Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Contents (Page 1) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - From the Editor (Page 2) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - News (Page 3) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - News (Page 4) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Calendar (Page 5) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Brussels Report (Page 6) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Vaccines (Page 7) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Vaccines (Page 8) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Vaccines (Page 9) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Vaccines (Page 10) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Management Theory (Page 11) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Online Networking (Page 12) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Online Networking (Page 13) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Online Networking (Page 14) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - On the Move (Page 15)
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