GAVI - Vaccines alliance nears deal on cervical cancer shots

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/05/us-vaccines-gavi-idUSBRE83407I20120405

GAVI - Vaccines alliance nears deal on cervical cancer

shots

By Kate Kelland

LONDON | Thu Apr 5, 2012 2:59am EDT

(Reuters) - The GAVI international vaccines group is moving towards a

price deal with drug makers which could mean the supply of millions of

doses of cut-price cervical cancer vaccines to developing

nations.

The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) said on Thursday

if the deal - which would cover vaccines made by U.S. drug maker Merck

and its British rival GlaxoKline - was secured at the right price it

could have a huge impact on the health of millions of women in poorer

countries.

More than 85 percent of the 275,000 cervical cancer deaths each year

occur in developing nations. Experts say the annual worldwide cervical

cancer death rate could rise to 430,000 by 2030 if no action is taken to

protect women from it.

Merck's Gardasil and GSK's Cervarix vaccines are the world's only two

approved shots designed to protect against the human papillomavirus (HPV)

that causes most cases of cervical cancer.

A spokesman for GAVI told Reuters " at least one " of these

pharmaceutical firms had made " encouraging progress towards an

acceptable price " for GAVI eligible countries.

" This is a relatively new vaccine, with low initial volumes for GAVI

countries and therefore high fixed costs per unit, " he said.

" We believe that the commitments move GAVI in the right direction to

obtain an acceptable price. "

Merck said last year it was prepared to offer Gardasil to GAVI countries

at a deeply discounted price of $5 per dose, meaning a three-dose course

would cost $15. GAVI said at the time that was " a good starting

offer " .

ACCEPTABLE PRICE?

A GSK spokesman said the British firm was in talks with GAVI and wanted

to help make Cervarix available to women around the world, regardless of

their income and where they live.

" GSK is committed to offering the lowest prices for its vaccines to

the poorest countries, " he said, adding that prices were also

determined by volumes, the length of contracts, and the guaranteed number

of doses to be purchased by global organizations, governments and

others.

The GAVI spokesman would not name the specific company he said was making

" progress " and would not give any details on price, but said

GAVI would continue to work with manufacturers in a tender process aimed

at ensuring the vaccine could be made available at " an acceptable

price " .

If eligible countries can demonstrate their ability to reach girls with

HPV vaccines and the drug makers can satisfy GAVI's supply and price

requirements " up to a million girls and young women could be

protected from cervical cancer by 2015 in a handful of countries, "

GAVI said in a statement.

This would increase to more than 20 million in nearly 30 countries by the

end of the decade, it added.

GAVI, which is backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the

World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, UNICEF, donor

governments and others, funds bulk-buy vaccination programs for poorer

nations that can't afford shots at developed-economy prices.

Since it was set up in 2000, the group has financed the immunization of

more than 326 million children and says it has prevented more than 5.5

million premature deaths.

" The HPV vaccine...is critical to women and girls in poorer

countries because they usually do not have access to screening to detect

cervical cancer and treatment available in richer nations, " GAVI's

chief executive Seth Berkley said in the statement. " We are aiming

to correct this inequity. "

The alliance also said it was responding to WHO recommendations by

offering funding for vaccines against the rubella virus, which can lead

to birth defects and miscarriages.

It said forecasted demand suggests that more than 700 million children

could be reached by 2015 and one billion by 2020 through campaigns and

routine immunization.

GAVI said it would fund rubella vaccines through a combined

measles-rubella (MR) shot, supporting international efforts to eliminate

rubella as well as measles.

(Reporting by Kate Kelland, editing by Helen Massy-Beresford)

Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian

Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Washington State, USA

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