Advance Market Committment ratified by Donor Nations (12 Jun 2009)

On behalf of the APPG on Pneumococcal Disease Prevention in the Developing World, Chair of the Group, Dr Des Turner MP would like to congratulate the Finance Ministers of Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, Norway and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation together with the GAVI Alliance, the World Bank, UNICEF and WHO, for legally ratifying the Advance Market Commitment (AMC) pilot for pneumococcal disease in Italy on 12 June 2009.

Dr Turner, who was invited to the event by the Italian Government, said everyone involved in the process should be congratulated as this is a significant achievement in the fight against pneumococcal disease and millions of children will benefit.

"The AMC could save the lives of up to seven million children by 2030 and hopefully end a devastating scourge on the developing world," Dr Turner said.

"The final key is the actual vaccines, but we are of the understanding that these are very close to being approved so hopefully the first vaccinations will soon be taking place."

"This is going to make a substantial difference to people in the developing world as it will improve the lives of children, families and communities in countless areas and also in the process, help improve struggling health systems. It is a fantastic achievement."

By signing the AMC donors delivered on their $1.5-billion commitment, made in Rome on February 9 2007, when they decided to join efforts to save lives in the world's poorest nations by adopting the innovative AMC approach.

Pneumococcal diseases take the lives of 1.6 million people each year, including up to one million children under five years of age. More than 90 percent of these deaths occur in developing countries. Pneumonia, the most common form of serious pneumococcal disease, is the leading cause of death among young children. GAVI estimates that the AMC pneumococcal pilot could prevent more than seven million childhood deaths by 2030 and contribute substantially to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal on Child Health (MDG4).

Through an AMC, donors commit money to guarantee the price of vaccines once they have been developed and manufactured, thus creating the potential for a viable future market. These commitments provide vaccine makers with the incentive to invest the considerable sums required to conduct research or build manufacturing capacity. Over the long term, this will create a self-sustainable market at pre-established affordable prices for recipient countries. In June 2008 the GAVI Alliance Board confirmed its intent to provide US$1.3 billion for the purchase of pneumococcal vaccines.