Vaccine Deal Expected to Save Millions of Lives

(March 23) -- In a deal that could save millions of lives, two of the world's largest drug companies agreed today to provide 30 million doses of a vaccine that protects against pneumonia and meningitis to dozens of developing countries.

Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline are the first to join a program spearheaded by the GAVI Alliance, a group that includes UNICEF and the World Health Organization. The initiative links price caps to guarantees that all the vaccine produced will be purchased.

"Today's landmark announcement promises to make new vaccines available affordably, where they are urgently needed and faster than ever before," GAVI CEO Julian Lob-Levyt said in a statement.

GAVI estimates the vaccines could save 900,000 lives before 2015, and 7 million by 2030, in the 47 countries receiving the drugs.

The vaccine protects against pneumococcal ailments, which include meningitis and pneumonia. Combined, they kill 1.6 million people a year, the vast majority of whom live in Africa and Asia. Kids are also disproportionately affected: Pneumonia is the No. 1 killer of young children worldwide.

In January, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which spearheaded GAVI's launch 10 years ago and announced plans to invest $10 billion into vaccine research and distribution in developing countries, is financing the effort. It's joined by several countries, including Canada and Britain.

The first five years of pneumococcal vaccine distribution will cost $1.5 billion, and GAVI still needs to raise another $1.5 billion if the program is to continue beyond 2015.

The deal is a "major milestone," Ian Read, Pfizer's senior vice president of global biopharmaceuticals, said at a press conference. "Creating access is not just about having medicines, it's also about getting medicines to people who need them."

Global health experts hope the program spurs companies to develop vaccines for illnesses like malaria and rotavirus. Until now, development has lagged: The vaccines are sorely needed in developing countries, but their creation wouldn't be lucrative, because their targeted diseases are largely eradicated in Western nations.