Wall Street Journal - May 31, 2001
David Bank, Staff Reporter

WASHINGTON -- A new partnership backed by $70 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is offering incentives for pharmaceuticals makers to develop and distribute a vaccine for a strain of meningitis responsible for repeated epidemics in east and west Africa.

The effort is the first example of a type of partnership in which foundation funds will help underwrite the corporate costs of introducing a vaccine that had been developed but never commercially produced by private pharmaceuticals manufacturers.

At least one major drug maker was developing such a meningitis vaccine and had conducted clinical trials in west Africa when efforts were halted in 1999, said Theresa Aguado, coordinator of vaccine development for the World Health Organization. She said the vaccine wasn't introduced because the anticipated returns in the countries affected were too low to support continued development. She declined to identify the company. Medical journals have reported promising results from trials of meningitis vaccines in Niger and Gambia.

Drug companies have shifted their efforts to developing vaccines for the strain of meningitis that affects the U.S. and Europe, which differs from that found in Africa, said Chris Elias, president of the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health. The Seattle-based nonprofit agency will coordinate the vaccine effort in partnership with the World Health Organization.

"There is a true market failure in terms of these vaccines being needed in the poorest parts of the world, and the companies not seeing any profit motive there," he said.

More than 700,000 cases of meningitis and 100,000 deaths were reported between 1988 and 1997 in the so-called "African meningitis belt" that stretches from Gambia to Ethiopia. Short-term vaccines are available, but are difficult to distribute quickly and don't prevent the recurring epidemics. The disease kills one of every 10 children who contract it, and leaves one in four with permanent damage.

The organizers of the new effort already are in negotiations with several drug companies and expect to have an effective vaccine within three to five years.

The vaccine will be licensed for high-volume production at prices low enough to enable it to become part of routine immunization programs in poor countries. The $70 million grant, spread over 10 years, will help defray the costs of clinical trials, regulatory clearance and safety monitoring. Patty Stonesifer, co-chair of the Gates Foundation, said the subsidy is likely to be enough to make vaccine production at least marginally profitable for a private producer.

The Gates Foundation has funded other programs to facilitate distribution of vaccines, notably the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, which received a grant for $750 million over five years.

"Different programs are coming together to present much bigger opportunities," Ms. Stonesifer said. "It's a very virtuous cycle."

The announcement was made at the Global Health Council's conference here, where Melinda Gates, Bill Gates' wife, is scheduled to deliver her first major health-policy address Thursday night. Ms. Gates is expected to call for increased government funding for global health initiatives and to endorse United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's plan for a global mobilization to fight HIV and AIDS.

Ms. Gates also will present the first Gates Award for Global Health to the Centre for Health and Population Research in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which pioneered the development of a low-cost solution of cereals, salt and water that can reverse dehydration caused by diarrhea, a leading cause of death in developing countries.

Write to David Bank at david.bank@wsj.com

010531
WJ010517

Copyright © 2001 - The Wall Street Journal. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the WSJ Permissions Desk.

ÆGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, iMetrikus, Inc., the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2001. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

ÆGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1990, 2000. ÆGiS & the Sisters of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. All materials appearing on ÆGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of ÆGIS and the Sisters of Saint. Elizabeth of Hungary, or the party credited as the provider of the content.