Results of UK Consultation on AMCs

DFID has published the results of its public consultation about AMCs:

DFID held a consultation with UK based stakeholders on AMCs. This paper sets out the main conclusions, which can be summarised as follows:
- All the participants welcomed the Advance Market Commitment Initiative, and it was thought to be a positive contribution to improving R&D in vaccines, as long as it was clear that resources for AMCs would not be at the expense of current commitments to research support and other programmes.
- Most of the concerns were to do with detailed design of the initiative and implementation at country level.
- Respondents were widely concerned to understand whether an AMC would stimulate innovation and second or third generation vaccines, or whether an AMC might ‘crowd out’ other research.
- There was also concern as to how a price could be set before the vaccine has even been invented – although the principal of supplying new vaccines to developing countries at a low and affordable price was seen as a sound one.
- Respondents also were unconcerned that introduction of vaccines at country level should be well thought through as there is considerable experience of the difficulty of introducing innovative health products into countries whose capacity may lag behind that of the supplier, unless explicitly addressed and perhaps supported by technical assistance.
- There is some concern as to how the AMC would mesh with other incentives, such as public funding to early scientific research.