Report: An Investment Case for the Accelerated Introduction of Oral Cholera Vaccines
IVI (International Vaccines Institute); March 2012
IVI said its Policy & Economic Research Unit has developed an investment case in order to provide a global evidence base for investing in oral cholera vaccines (as part of a larger strategy that includes improvements to water, sanitation, and hygiene). This report was developed in response “to the fact that demand for oral cholera vaccines has been too uncertain for vaccine producers to invest in increasing their production capacity beyond current low levels. This has led to reluctance among suppliers, inadequate supply, and high prices that have delayed the introduction of new and under-utilized vaccines in developing countries where cholera remains a persistent public health problem.”
IVI said the report was developed “to meet the needs of groups that include the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), the global health community, vaccine manufacturers, prospective donor agencies, and policymakers from cholera-endemic countries for more information about the potential demand for cholera vaccines, the cost involved to meet this demand, and the impact and cost-effectiveness of vaccination.” The report provides further evidence to support the WHO’s recommendations (WHO Position Paper on Cholera Vaccines, March 2010) that include prioritizing cholera control measures such as immunization and water and sanitation improvements in endemic areas, consideration of preemptive vaccination in preventing outbreaks, and targeting high-risk areas and groups for vaccination in endemic countries.
Specifically the report provides:
– A detailed estimate of the cholera disease burden;
– The forecast of cholera vaccine demand for the control of endemic cholera;
– An estimate of the needs for a vaccine stockpile that could be used for pre-emptive vaccination to prevent outbreaks;
– An analysis of the global impact of vaccination on the disease based on the demand forecast results; and
– The cost and cost-effectiveness of vaccination
Financial support was provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and the governments of the Republic of Korea, Sweden, and Kuwait.
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