Why the needed vaccines don't exist

Up to recently, the public sector encouraged pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs and vaccines for use in the poorest countries by appealing to corporate altruism and through provision of incentives. Despite these efforts, successful development of new vaccines for use in developing countries is limited to a few examples such as cholera or typhoid fever--vaccines with markets such as travelers and the military.

Some of the reasons why vaccines are not introduced or are introduced belatedly in developing countries are:

• Diseases are not correctly identified as priorities for prevention and control;
• There is not enough information on local disease burden or programmatic feasibility;
• Pharmaceutical companies are less inclined to develop drugs or vaccines that generate small returns on investment;
• Many developing countries cannot afford to finance vaccine research or purchase the vaccines.

A decade ago several manufacturers were developing meningitis A and C conjugate vaccines. Yet, by 1999, all the programs had ceased due to the high costs of vaccine development and the pressure to produce conjugate vaccines with high profitability.

Yet, the technology to produce a safe and effective meningococcal conjugate vaccine for Africa has been available for more than 10 years. Intellectual property rights for conjugation are in the public domain, although the know-how rests in the private sector.

Photo Credit: Benoît Lange (left); Benoît Lange (right)

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