Pneumococcal vaccine agreement to protect African children in GAVI-eligible countries beginning in 2009

African children in GAVI-eligible countries will soon receive protection against pneumococcal disease thanks to a recent agreement between the GAVI Alliance and Wyeth, the manufacturer of the only licensed pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. The donation from the vaccine’s manufacturer, Wyeth, will provide more than 3 million doses of the vaccine.  The vaccine doses are intended to immunize children in Rwanda and The Gambia beginning as early as the first half of 2009. 

PneumoADIP applauds the governments of The Gambia and Rwanda, the GAVI Alliance and its partners, and Wyeth for taking this important step forward to improving the health of children in GAVI-eligible countries within Africa.

This decision helps to advance child survival because children in Africa suffer the highest rates of pneumococcal disease and mortality in the world. This represents the culmination of a series of important steps in accelerating vaccine access that began with a WHO recommendation for all countries to introduce pneumococcal conjugate vaccines and included the GAVI Board’s endorsement of a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine investment case in 2006.

Pneumococcal vaccine implementation is expected to expand rapidly from 2009 onwards. With the recent addition of Cameroon, Congo and Yemen, 11 GAVI-eligible countries from Africa, Asia, and Latin America have now been approved for pneumococcal vaccine funding.  The Advance Market Commitment (AMC) for pneumococcal vaccines is expected to begin delivering expanded protection vaccine by the end of 2009.  The first two AMC eligible vaccines are expected to be a 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine from GSK Biologicals and a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine from Wyeth that will replace the current 7-valent vaccine.

For more information on pneumococcal vaccines, the Advance Market Commitment, or the GAVI Alliance, please visit the following websites:
www.preventpneumo.org
www.vaccineamc.org
www.gavialliance.org
www.who.int