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

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

The pharmaceutical gaint, GlaxoSmithKline has announced a 10-year steady reduction in price of pneumococcal vaccines to enable Nigeria continue to purchase vaccines at prices meant for low-income countries still dependent on support from the Global Alliance for Vaccine Initiative (GAVI).

This year alone, World Health Organisation’s dat shows that pneumonia and diarrhoea has killed 210, 557 Nigerian children which means that within an hour, 20 children across Nigeria will die from pneumonia. This number is the highest in Africa and second highest overall in the world.

GAVI support pools donor funds from around the world to pay for vaccines used in low-income countries, but Nigeria’s rebasing its economy has made the country no longer eligible for that support by 2021.

According to Dr Olakunle Oladehin, cluster medical leader for GSK’s sub-Saharan Africa division, the plan is to ensure that Nigeria after graduating from GAVI eligibility continues to enjoy the same GAVI from GSK to sustain vaccination.”