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March 30, 2007
Canada Invests in Vaccine Development
Source: Globe and Mail, Tuesday, Feb 27/07
Description of Issue:
Vaccination has been clearly shown to be one of the most effective ways to fight infectious diseases around the globe. On Feb 9, 2007, the Canadian government announced a $200 million US contribution to the Advance Market Commitment (AMC) to create a pneumococcal vaccine. The initiative is part of a joint project, funded by Canada, Italy, Norway, Russia, Britain and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The project is aimed at developing a vaccine that will prevent the strains of the disease most common in the world’s poorest nations. It is estimated that the project could prevent between 500,000 and 700,000 deaths over a ten-year period. It is anticipated that the first vaccine purchases will occur in 2010 and will continue for approximately ten years. More than 1.6 million people, including 700,000 children, currently die each year of pneumococcal meningitis and pneumonia, prominently in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Implication For Pharmacy:
Continuing investment in front-line, preventative health care is expected to result in further, significant reduction in health-care costs and save untold lives. This vaccine initiative has the potential to save millions of lives. While the research and development of new medicines is both expensive and risky for patients overall, the health outcomes are immeasurable. For governments, medicines and vaccines are an effective way in helping save valuable health-care dollars.
Posted by mmacneil at March 30, 2007 10:13 PM