NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

African nations have a signed a declaration to partner in negotiations with multinational drug manufacturers for cheaper vaccines to ensure that immunization is accessible to all children on the continent.

The deal was part of a declaration made by 41 countries meeting at the Africa’s first immunizations conference, convened by the World Health Organization at the African Union (AU) headquarter in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last week.

According to a Times Live report, the deal aims to bring down prices of vaccines by approaching drug companies as a bloc and making the negotiation process open rather the usual individualized confidential deals that leave most nation disadvantaged.

Most pharmaceutical companies keep secret the prices each country pays.