A Commitment to Equitable Access to Vaccination

It is my personal hope that one lesson that we will take from 2020 is the incredible importance of working together as one to achieve a shared goal. So many of our communities have been put to the test due to COVID-19 and have shown that together, we can “flatten curves” and help save lives. However, this is a lesson that goes beyond COVID-19. Over the past 20 years, there is one prominent example of the impact that close partnership on a global scale can have to help prevent disease by improving and sustaining access to vaccination in some of our most vulnerable communities. I am of course talking about Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, an organization that GSK has proudly partnered with since its creation two decades ago, and who has already helped save 13 million lives… and counting. The role of Gavi is critical and this joint work has never been more important as countries face disruption to routine immunisation and potential outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases.

In 2019 alone, GSK supplied Gavi with more than 110 million doses of vaccines to protect against pneumonia, diarrhea and cervical cancer to some of the world’s poorest communities and since 2010, has supplied more than 740 million doses across 50 countries. And, during last week’s Global Vaccines Summit, we renewed our commitment to Gavi, along with so many others. After all, the important role that vaccines play in safeguarding our health has never been clearer than now. And working together to achieve shared global health goals has never been more urgent.

It was therefore incredibly heartening to see a true sense of coming together at the Global Vaccines Summit – a meeting that brings together Gavi Alliance partners every five years to mobilise resources for the years to come. These partners include Representatives from 52 countries, including 35 Heads of State, together with leaders from global health organisations, the private sector, vaccine manufacturers (including GSK’s CEO, Emma Walmsley) and civil society organisations. Hosted this year by Prime Minister Johnson and the UK government, the Global Vaccine Summit had the ambition to raise at least at least US$ 7.4 billion - and greatly surpassed this. A total of 32 donor governments (8 making pledges for the first time) and 12 foundations, corporations and organisations contributed a very impressive and much needed US$ 8.8 billion – a historic commitment. This money will contribute to the immunisation of an additional 300 million children, as well as supporting the global fight against COVID-19.

Speaking of COVID-19, as anticipated, a key focus throughout the day was the importance of equitable access to affordable COVID vaccines, as well as the importance of ensuring routine immunization of other important vaccines with minimal disruptions during these challenging times. During the summit, Gavi also launched the Advance Market Commitment for COVID-19 Vaccines (Covax AMC) initiative. This innovative financing instrument aims to provide access to COVID-19 vaccines for low income and lower middle-income countries.

GSK’s support of Gavi is part of our dedication to efforts that will have the greatest impact on human health. GSK has always followed a tiered pricing approach for its vaccines across the globe and GAVI has always received the lowest price for GSK vaccines. And, as the current circumstances make the role of Gavi ever more necessary and urgent, it is encouraging to see that when it is needed, so many can come together to raise the funds needed to continue vaccinating some of the poorest world’s children against deadly and debilitating infectious diseases.