Publication of study entitled: Inequitable Distribution of Global Economic Benefits from Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccination
A recent article by Mr. Fulgence Niyibitegeka from the Economics of Global Health and Infectious Diseases Unit (GHID), supervised by A/Prof Natalie Carvalho from the Centre for Health Policy at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne; Prof Fiona M. Russell from the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute; and Prof Mark Jit from the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, has been published in the 2024 Special Issue on Inequality in Immunization with editors from WHO; Gavi; The Vaccine Alliance, and US CDC.
Primarily due to its high cost, the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), which protects against pneumonia—a leading cause of death among children under five—remains significantly underutilized in developing countries, despite over 20 years of development and successful deployment in high-income countries (HICs). This study aimed to estimate and explore the distribution of global economic benefits across country income groups and manufacturers, based on current vaccine pricing policy. Additionally, the study explored the impact of alternative pricing policies to achieve a more equitable distribution of these benefits.
The study revealed a substantial inequitable distribution of the global economic value, with current pricing policies disproportionately benefiting high-income countries and manufacturers, who receive over 76.5% of the net economic benefits generated by the vaccine. Over the two decades since PCV became available, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have not received the full economic benefits of the vaccine.
The study further suggests strategic policies such as early adoption of appropriate pooled procurement mechanisms, promoting vaccine manufacturing in LMICs, and implementing more steeply tiered pricing, especially in middle-income countries (MICs), to reduce existing inequalities and enhance vaccine access in developing countries.