Rixensart, Belgium -Following the announcement by the GAVI Alliance today to commit funds to purchase new vaccines against rotavirus and pneumococcal diseases, Jean Stephenne, President and General Manager of GSK Biologicals, said:
?GAVI?s decision today to support the introduction of new vaccines against pneumococcal and rotavirus diseases is another advance for global health. It is our hope that GAVI?s funding plans will ensure that these new products reach those in greatest need and give children the same healthy start regardless of where they live.
GSK Biologicals welcomes this decision as proof that the global health community can work effectively together. With the addition of these new vaccines to its program, GAVI is demonstrating real leadership in helping to ensure children in the poorest countries have access to the best life-saving technologies available now. Rotavirus and pneumococcal disease are some of the biggest threats to children in the developing world, and these new vaccines will help save millions of lives.
We are proud that scientists at GSK Biologicals have devoted years to develop effective vaccines against these killers: our vaccine for rotavirus is now registered in more than 75 countries worldwide and our vaccine candidate for pneumococcal disease is now in late stage clinical development.
GSK is the largest supplier to GAVI and devotes one-third of its vaccine pipeline to diseases that predominantly affect the developing world. We are pleased to partner with GAVI to make these new vaccines available at affordable prices. The GAVI eligible countries will benefit from our tiered pricing model which has been used for more than twenty years to ensure vaccines reach all those who need them.?