/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}Millions more children in developingcountries may be able to receive a major combination vaccine, thanks to a dropin prices.

TheGAVI Alliance, a public/private health partnership, made the announcementWednesday in Hanoi regarding the pentavalentvaccine. It helps protectagainst diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B, as well as against Hib,bacteria that cause meningitis and pneumonia.

"Thepentavalent vaccine is really a miracle of science. It contains five vaccines in one," says GAVIAlliance spokesman Jeffrey Rowland.

Inthe last few years, the price for a single vaccine dose has dropped from $3.65to $2.94.

"Nowthat may not sound like a huge price drop, but," he says, "that means we'vebeen able to accrue $55 million in savings." 

Thesavings will be used to immunize an extra six million children, in addition tothe more than 256 million in 70 countries already vaccinated, Rowland says.

The GAVI effect

Rowlandsays, "The reason that the price has been declining is because the GlobalAlliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI) has been purchasing massivequantities of this vaccine for poor countries. And because of that demand we have created from vaccine producers, moreand more companies have entered the market, creating competition," he says.

Competitiondrives prices down. But that competitionis relatively new.

"What'shappened over the last 10 years is that vaccine makers will not produce enoughvaccines for poor countries because there's not a market. Obviously poor countries cannot afford thesevaccines," he says.

Making it work for both sides

"We'vesaid to countries that we will help fund these vaccines for them," he says,"and A health worker in Lagos administers child immunizationswe'vesaid to manufacturers that we will purchase the vaccine."

Thatcreated a market for the vaccine manufacturers. 

"Morecompanies have actually stepped into the market and said, oh, there's actuallysome money to be made here," he says. "Companies start competing against each other."

Tenyears after the creation of the GAVI alliance, vaccine makers have sprung up incountries like India and Brazil.

"Morethan 86 percent of vaccines that are produced now are produced and provided bycompanies that are in emerging markets," he says. "And so now, those companies can producethese vaccines for a cheaper price. They compete against some of the big playersout there and naturally the price goes down."

The GAVI Alliance was created nearly10 years ago with support from the Bill and Melinda gates Foundation. The partnership includes UNICEF, World HealthOrganization, World Bank, NGOs and government donors.  

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