Humanitarian Mechanism unlocks Rotarix for emergency use

British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) has reached a humanitarian pricing agreement to make its rotavirus vaccine, Rotarix, more available for children in emergency situations.

Welcomed by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Save the Children, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), the deal enables children living in refugee camps and other displaced communities to gain protection from the deadly disease.

The agreement makes use of the multi-partner Humanitarian Mechanism, under which GSK has been supplying PCV (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine) for several years.