Brown Commitment on Vaccines

It is an extraordinary fact that a finance facility for immunisation, raising an extra $4 billion ahead of 2015 for vaccinations, could save an extra 5 million lives over the next 10 years. In the years after 2015 another 5 million more lives could be saved.The UK, France and Sweden have already agreed to contribute to the new IFF for Immunisation, supported by the Gates Foundation, the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and the World Bank, and we will publish a list of other backers in the next few weeks.The proposal supported by European countries is now before Eurostat for confirmation of its treatment in national accounts. And we are hopeful of a go ahead within the next few weeks.The IFF for immunisation will demonstrate the feasibility of frontloading effective and predictable aid through a larger International Finance Facility that would use future commitments of aid to leverage resources from capital markets for immediate disbursement to the poorest countries in the world. The money would be frontloaded and disbursed to where it can make the most difference by delivering clean water, school facilities and health programmes.However, vaccines for the biggest killers in the world - HIV/AIDS and malaria - do not yet exist. In the next few days we will announce plans that encourage countries to commit not only to the necessary research and development of vaccines but also to advance purchase agreements – an incentive for drug companies to develop vaccines for malaria and HIV/AIDS by guaranteeing to purchase hundreds of thousands of doses.For every year a vaccine for malaria is brought forward, it is estimated 1 million lives would be saved.

The proposals floated by Mr Brown for advance purchase agreements, to encourage drug companies to develop vaccines for Aids and malaria, deserve serious attention.