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

Friday, September 9, 2016

As the Zika virus spreads and concern grows about the world’s preparedness for outbreaks, GlaxoSmithKline Plc is proposing the creation of a unit dedicated to developing vaccines for diseases in markets offering little potential profit.

The London-based company is ready to provide a facility, staff and technology, and would welcome funding from the U.S., the U.K., the World Health Organization and other public entities, Ripley Ballou, Glaxo’s vice president of vaccines, said in a phone interview.

While big pharma can make a profit from some vaccines such as seasonal flu shots, there’s little financial incentive for conditions like Zika or Ebola that affect mostly developing nations, unless governments and public agencies guarantee they will stockpile the products.