By our staff reporter
Pfizer announced it has supplied its 1 billionth pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) through its collaboration with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The billionth dose was delivered to Ethiopia for use in its national immunization program to help protect children from pneumococcal disease.
Globally, pneumonia is the single largest infectious cause of mortality in children under five. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that brings together governments, global health organizations, the vaccine industry and other sectors to increase equitable and sustainable access to vaccines for some of the world’s deadliest diseases, like pneumonia.
In 2009, Gavi established the Pneumococcal Advance Market Commitment (AMC), a public-private health financing mechanism designed to create a sustainable marketplace, enabling investment in development and manufacturing and providing an affordable and stable supply of vaccines at a highly subsidized price for supply to children in low- and lower-middle income Gavi-eligible countries. Pfizer was one of the first manufacturers to participate in the AMC. To date, its vaccines have reached 57 Gavi-eligible countries, and they are estimated to have helped protect more than 300 million children from pneumococcal disease.
Gavi’s success in immunizing over a billion children since 2000 is built upon its unique multistakeholder model. Vaccine manufacturers play a critical role in this partnership, helping us build healthy, affordable markets for vaccines and delivering innovative new solutions. We are proud of reaching this important milestone together with Pfizer and look forward to impactful collaboration in the future.” – Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
In Ethiopia, more than 40,000 children under five die from pneumonia annually. It is a leading cause of death during the postnatal period, accounting for 20% of deaths in this age group every year. Since 2020, Pfizer has supplied more than 40 million pneumococcal vaccines to support the country’s vaccination efforts.
“Pediatric pneumococcal vaccines are critical in our fight against one of our nation’s most urgent public health challenges. With the support of Gavi, we have been able to provide access to these vaccines to help protect our most vulnerable citizens. The billionth dose is an exciting milestone and a testament to the commitment and cooperation of Pfizer, Gavi and other partners to help children in Ethiopia and around the world have a healthier start in life.” said Melkamu Ayalew, Head of Immunization, Federal Ministry of Health, Ethiopia.
