MSF: $262 million subsidy should not go to pharma giants Pfizer and GSK for pneumococcal vaccine
Tuesday, December 3, 2019 — On the occasion of this week's board meeting of the Global Immunization Alliance Gavi in Delhi, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) calls on its board members to stop supporting the pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) with millions of dollars in funding.
“Pfizer and GSK have reaped more than their fair share of donor money for the pneumococcal vaccine, on top of the combined nearly $50 billion in sales they have made over the last 10 years from the vaccine, so it’s time for Gavi to stop this big pharma payout,” said Kate Elder, Senior Vaccines Policy Advisor, MSF Access Campaign. “Instead of lobbing more money at Pfizer and GSK, Gavi should start supporting countries to prepare for the alternative supplier that promises lower pneumococcal vaccine prices for all countries.”
Pneumonia causes more than a quarter of all deaths in children under the age of five globally – nearly one million young lives lost every year.
Below you will find a press release in English. Please note that interviews can be organized with spokespeople. I stay at your disposal.
Yours sincerely
Djann Jutzeler