Guest guest Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN752840.html Vaccines could prevent quarter of child deaths [-] Text [+] By MacInnis GENEVA (Reuters) - A quarter of child deaths could be prevented by immunisations, according to the head of a multi-billion-dollar vaccine procurer, who warned on Wednesday that economic woes could soon damage public health programmes. n Lob-Levyt, of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), said the crisis now gripping financial markets was unlikely to dampen demand for the AAA-rated " vaccine bonds " that raise money for his group's multi-year programmes. But he said a broader downturn would squeeze international aid budgets and make it harder for impoverished African and Asian countries to invest in medical services. " It is going to be tougher for everybody in development, " the British physician told Reuters in an interview in Geneva, where the eight-year-old GAVI Alliance is headquartered. Backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and several donor governments, GAVI makes advance market commitments to buy vaccines from pharmaceutical makers and then helps poor-country governments buy, store, and distribute them. The organisation estimates its programmes have averted about 3 million premature deaths and triggered a steady increase in child immunisations against diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, yellow fever and hepatitis B. " We have demonstrated that a market does exist in the poorest parts of the world, and it is bringing in a lot of manufacturers, not only from the West but from the South, from India and elsewhere, " Lob-Levyt said. " That secures the supply and is driving down prices. " For example, GlaxoKline was previously the only manufacturer of a 5-in-1 vaccine immunising children against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B and Hib meningitis. It is now also made by Switzerland's Berna Biotech as well as Indian companies Shantha Biotechnics and Panacea Biotec, who Lob-Levyt said were drawn into the market because of GAVI's spending. GAVI used $181 million to buy or secure supply of the vaccine in 2006-2007. " STAGGERING " POTENTIAL Lob-Levyt said 20 to 25 percent of the 9 million child deaths worldwide each year could be prevented through better immunisation coverage with existing vaccines and the introduction of new ones in the pipeline. " We could reduce child mortality by up to a quarter just by vaccinations, which is a staggering thing given the range of diseases, " he said, noting that new vaccines against pneumonia, diarrhoea and meningitis would also prevent serious disabilities such as brain damage, deafness, and chronic lung disease. In June, GAVI's board, which includes U.N. Agencies, donor governments and the vaccine industry, also committed to funding vaccines against cervical cancer, cholera, typhoid, meningitis A, rabies, Japanese encephalitis and rubella. But simply procuring vaccines is not enough, Lob-Levyt said. GAVI and its aid partners have run into problems in countries that lack health workers and cannot adequately store, dispense and manage immunisation programmes. About 25 percent of the $1 billion GAVI spent in 2007 was allocated towards addressing these weaknesses, with money used to train health workers and buy needed items such as gloves, syringes, refrigerators to keep vaccines cool, and motorcycles and petrol to allow health workers to reach remote patients. With aid belts tightened, Lob-Levyt said the public health spending had to be carefully calculated to ensure, for instance, that mothers visiting a clinic are able to have their children immunised at the same time they pick up needed drugs and get other care that is now highly fragmented in poor countries. " We are short of development dollars. They have to be made to work extraordinarily efficiently, " he said. Lob-Levyt said the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm), which raises money in capital markets for GAVI, planned to launch a new bond in late 2008 or early 2009. IFFIm uses long-term pledges from donor governments including Britain, France and Norway as collateral to issue top-rated bonds. The World Bank is its financial adviser. Market upset should not dissuade pension funds and others from buying the government-backed securities, Lob-Levyt said. " We don't think the bond side through the IFFIm is going to be dramatically affected, " he said. " Our assumption is that there is going to be a stronger demand for these more secure investments in this rocky world. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 yeah, yeah http://www.whale.to/vaccine/gavi.html Vaccines could prevent quarter of child deaths http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN752840.html Vaccines could prevent quarter of child deaths [-] Text [+] By MacInnis GENEVA (Reuters) - A quarter of child deaths could be prevented by immunisations, according to the head of a multi-billion-dollar vaccine procurer, who warned on Wednesday that economic woes could soon damage public health programmes. n Lob-Levyt, of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), said the crisis now gripping financial markets was unlikely to dampen demand for the AAA-rated " vaccine bonds " that raise money for his group's multi-year programmes. But he said a broader downturn would squeeze international aid budgets and make it harder for impoverished African and Asian countries to invest in medical services. " It is going to be tougher for everybody in development, " the British physician told Reuters in an interview in Geneva, where the eight-year-old GAVI Alliance is headquartered. Backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and several donor governments, GAVI makes advance market commitments to buy vaccines from pharmaceutical makers and then helps poor-country governments buy, store, and distribute them. The organisation estimates its programmes have averted about 3 million premature deaths and triggered a steady increase in child immunisations against diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, yellow fever and hepatitis B. " We have demonstrated that a market does exist in the poorest parts of the world, and it is bringing in a lot of manufacturers, not only from the West but from the South, from India and elsewhere, " Lob-Levyt said. " That secures the supply and is driving down prices. " For example, GlaxoKline was previously the only manufacturer of a 5-in-1 vaccine immunising children against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B and Hib meningitis. It is now also made by Switzerland's Berna Biotech as well as Indian companies Shantha Biotechnics and Panacea Biotec, who Lob-Levyt said were drawn into the market because of GAVI's spending. GAVI used $181 million to buy or secure supply of the vaccine in 2006-2007. " STAGGERING " POTENTIAL Lob-Levyt said 20 to 25 percent of the 9 million child deaths worldwide each year could be prevented through better immunisation coverage with existing vaccines and the introduction of new ones in the pipeline. " We could reduce child mortality by up to a quarter just by vaccinations, which is a staggering thing given the range of diseases, " he said, noting that new vaccines against pneumonia, diarrhoea and meningitis would also prevent serious disabilities such as brain damage, deafness, and chronic lung disease. In June, GAVI's board, which includes U.N. Agencies, donor governments and the vaccine industry, also committed to funding vaccines against cervical cancer, cholera, typhoid, meningitis A, rabies, Japanese encephalitis and rubella. But simply procuring vaccines is not enough, Lob-Levyt said. GAVI and its aid partners have run into problems in countries that lack health workers and cannot adequately store, dispense and manage immunisation programmes. About 25 percent of the $1 billion GAVI spent in 2007 was allocated towards addressing these weaknesses, with money used to train health workers and buy needed items such as gloves, syringes, refrigerators to keep vaccines cool, and motorcycles and petrol to allow health workers to reach remote patients. With aid belts tightened, Lob-Levyt said the public health spending had to be carefully calculated to ensure, for instance, that mothers visiting a clinic are able to have their children immunised at the same time they pick up needed drugs and get other care that is now highly fragmented in poor countries. " We are short of development dollars. They have to be made to work extraordinarily efficiently, " he said. Lob-Levyt said the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm), which raises money in capital markets for GAVI, planned to launch a new bond in late 2008 or early 2009. IFFIm uses long-term pledges from donor governments including Britain, France and Norway as collateral to issue top-rated bonds. The World Bank is its financial adviser. Market upset should not dissuade pension funds and others from buying the government-backed securities, Lob-Levyt said. " We don't think the bond side through the IFFIm is going to be dramatically affected, " he said. " Our assumption is that there is going to be a stronger demand for these more secure investments in this rocky world. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.