GAVI's new half-price vaccines deal will protect more children

GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, which was co-founded by Bill Gates in 2000, has secured a record cost-cutting vaccine deal, the organization announced today.

This will ensure sufficient supplies for the next three years to protect millions of children in GAVI-supported and transitioning countries. Moreover, pentavalent vaccine – a cornerstone of routine immunization programs – will be accessible from a broad base of manufacturers at less than $1: half this year’s average price.

“We estimate that pentavalent vaccination will avert 5.7 million deaths in GAVI-supported countries between 2011 and 2020,” said Dr Seth Berkley, chief executive of GAVI. “The market for five-in-one vaccines is now a lot healthier than it was just a few years ago thanks to our collective efforts to grow a base of vaccine suppliers. We remain committed to making vaccine markets work better for the world’s poorest countries to ensure immunization investments and efforts are sustainable for all,” he noted.