April 2012 Archives

There is no cure for polio--a disease whose symptoms and effects have been been known for thousands of years. In fact, this image shows what is believed to be a person suffering from polio in ancient Egypt. Polio is caused by a virus that invades the nervous system and can lead to total paralysis within hours; those who survive quite often suffer from other lifelong medical consequences. Prevention is therefore the only way to tackle this disease, and our company has consistently been at the forefront of efforts to eradicate the disease.

The polio vaccine was the very first vaccine that our company researched, developed and produced in the 1950s. Back then, a polio epidemic had hit the United States and heightened concerns about the disease around the world. Six decades later after intense worldwide vaccination programmes and campaigns, we are on the brink of eradicating polio.

A major boost came in 1998 with the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), a public-private partnership whose goal is to eradicate polio worldwide. The figures speak for themselves: polio cases have decreased by over 99%, from an estimated 350,000 cases in 1988 to 1,352 reported cases in 2010. The latest success story has been India, which in early 2012 was removed from the World Health Organisation's list of polio-endemic countries after passing the one-year mark without any new cases. Only three countries - Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan - remain polio-endemic, down from more than 125 nations in 1988.

GSK is a major contributor to the GPEI, delivering to date more than 15 billion doses of Oral Poliovirus Vaccine (OPV) to UNICEF to support the initiative. Between 2000 and 2010 around 80% of our OPV capacity was dedicated to the initiative and supplied at a low price. We also produce and supply Inactivated (killed) Poliovirus Vaccine (IPV), either as a stand-alone vaccine or in combination with other childhood vaccines such as diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough, at tiered prices to countries implementing IPV immunization programmes.

Before polio vaccines had been developed, virtually all children were infected with polio viruses, with annual epidemics leaving thousands of victims using crutches, braces, wheelchairs and iron lungs. Today, a series of polio vaccines can protect a child for life.

Tomorrow we'll highlight the seasonal flu vaccine.

Public domain image courtesy of Wikipedia.

Over the last five years, we've seen that scaling up existing malaria control interventions--bed-nets and anti-malarial treatments--leads to dramatic reduction in the burden of the disease in some countries and eradicating it completely in others, and with our malaria vaccine candidate in late stage development there is much to be optimistic about. So it is timely that World Malaria Day happens smack in the middle of World Immunization Week!

For most of us who were born in the US, there is no first-hand knowledge of malaria, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't care about it.  It used to be a problem, especially in warmer parts of the Lower 48. Thankfully, a well-coordinated effort eliminated it in the US in 1951.

Because despite recent successes, half the world's population remains at risk of malaria and it still kills almost 655,000 people every year--mostly young children in sub-Saharan Africa. One of our researchers recounted a trip where he saw "children's lives hanging by a thread, mothers waiting anxiously for news of their child's survival, communities suffering from the loss of another life, over-burdened hospitals and over-worked doctors making tough decisions, not about how to treat but who to save." 

We won't tackle malaria by adopting a business-as-usual approach. This is why our program is not only about ensuring access to existing interventions, it's about continuing to invest in innovation and science to ensure we are playing our part in supporting the theme of this year's World Malaria Day: Sustain Gains, Save Lives, Invest in Malaria.

GSK and the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI), together with prominent African research centers, have partnered to develop a malaria vaccine candidate, known as RTS,S.  RTS,S which is currently in a Phase III trial, is the world's most clinically advanced malaria vaccine candidate.  If licensed and approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) it will be used exclusively for children in sub-Saharan Africa who suffer the greatest burden of disease.  A vaccine, if approved, would be an important component of a comprehensive malaria control program which already includes bed nets and anti-malaria medicines.

We're committed to making this vaccine candidate available to those who need it most.  The eventual price of RTS,S will cover the cost of manufacturing the vaccine together with a small return of around 5% that will be reinvested in R&D for second-generation malaria vaccines or vaccines against other neglected tropical diseases.

We're also working in partnership with other organizations to increase the availability and uptake of preventative measures and improve management of malaria, particularly for young children and pregnant women. This includes providing our anti-malarial medicines at deeply discounted prices in LDCs and sub-Saharan Africa to ensure access for as many people as possible.

In communities in Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya, we're working with partners and with national malaria control programs to help build capacity of community health workers and mobilize families to become the frontline in the fight against malaria.

Up next...polio, a great example of a successful combination of public health policy and sound science.

Rotavirus is the most common cause of diarrhea and vomiting (gastroenteritis) in infants and young children worldwide. Every year approximately half a million children under five die from rotavirus infections, according to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, with most of these children living in low-income countries, but it still appears here in the US.

Rotavirus is a highly contagious infection that commonly begins with fever and vomiting followed by diarrhea and rapid dehydration. It is found in all countries, with 95% of children worldwide infected with the rotavirus virus by three to five years of age. However, mortality is considerably higher in developing countries as access to medical care is more limited.

Vaccination is recognised as a highly effective way to protect young children against this disease. Given that prevention is difficult even in a sanitary environment, the WHO recommends the inclusion of rotavirus vaccines for infants in all national immunization programs in all regions including both developing and developed countries.

"Rotavirus vaccines have enormous potential to save lives...we urgently need to get these life-saving vaccines to children in developing countries," the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) Alliance declared last year.

Tomorrow, we'll talk about malaria--since it is World Malaria Day--and why we should care about it in the US.

Image courtesy of the World Health Organization.

Today marks the start of World Immunization Week 2012--an initiative coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO) that aims to unite countries across the globe for a week of vaccination campaigns, public education, and information sharing.

This week, WHO is working with countries across the globe to raise awareness of the real value of vaccination, as well as helping to ensure that governments obtain the necessary guidance and technical support to implement high-quality immunization programs. Vaccines play a major role in preventing diseases and it's because of vaccinations that at least 3 million deaths are prevented and 750,000 children are saved from disability every single year.

World Immunization Week is important, as it helps:

• Raise awareness of how immunization saves lives
• Increase vaccination coverage to prevent disease outbreaks
• Reach underserved and marginalised communities―particularly those living in remote areas, deprived urban settings, fragile states and strife-torn regions―with existing and newly available vaccines
• Reinforce the medium and long-term benefits of immunization, giving children a chance to grow up healthily, go to school and improve their life prospects

These objectives tie in well with our mission to help people do more, feel better, and live longer. In fact, here in the US, we even have a Vaccines Access Program  that provides GSK vaccines to adult applicants who meet eligibility requirements

To mark the occasion of World Immunization Week, over the next few days we'll shine the spotlight on a few vaccine preventable diseases.

Image courtesy of WHO.