Drug Manufacturers Step In To Fill Gap In Rotavirus Vaccine Supply For West Africa After Merck Ends Long-Term Agreement
NPR: It Looked As Though Millions Of Babies Would Miss Out On A Lifesaving Vaccine
“…As NPR reported in November, the pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. Inc. announced it was ending a long-term agreement to supply its rotavirus vaccine, RotaTeq, at a reduced price to families in four West African countries. At the same time, the company began selling the vaccine in China, for more than 12 times the price. Merck’s decision meant that more than 2 million babies were at risk of missing the vaccine, health experts told NPR. … Now the situation has changed — for the good. After NPR broke the news of Merck’s pullout, other vaccine manufacturers stepped up to fill in the gap…” (Doucleff, 5/31).
The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.