Pharmaceutical companies are also advancing technologies that improve how vaccines are formulated, manufactured, and delivered. This includes developing more stable and convenient formulations, streamlined production processes, and scalable solutions for storage and distribution – particularly in settings with limited infrastructure.

This innovation is powered by a diverse range of vaccine platforms. Traditional platforms – such as such as live-attenuated, inactivated, subunit, toxoid, and conjugate vaccines – remain foundational, while newer platforms like viral vector, mRNA, and DNA-based vaccines are expanding what is possible in vaccine design and delivery. Together, these platforms widen vaccine choice, enable more equitable access, strengthen supply resilience, and accelerate responses to emerging threats. This diversity is central to building resilient immunization systems that can respond equitably and effectively to global health challenges – today and in the future.

Routine childhood vaccination is one of the greatest public health success stories, saving an estimated four million children every year. Vaccinated children are less likely to suffer from long-term vaccine-preventable disabilities and more likely to attend school, learn and thrive – unlocking economic and social benefits that ripple across their communities.

Yet the need for protection does not stop with childhood. The risk of infectious disease persists across the life course. Adolescents, pregnant women, adults, people with certain chronic conditions, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, and vulnerable or marginalized communities all face increased risks and stand to benefit from a life-course immunization (LCI) approach.

As the world’s population ages, these needs are becoming even more urgent. By 2030, 1 in 6 people globally will be over the age of 60 years. Older adults – especially those with underlying health conditions – are particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases like influenza, pneumococcal disease, and shingles, which can lead to serious complications or even death.

A resilient immunization system must protect people at every stage of life. Prioritizing life-course immunization is key to strengthening disease prevention, reducing health inequalities, and supporting healthy aging in an increasingly interconnected and aging world.

Life-course immunization not only protects individuals from disease, but it also helps reduce hospitalizations, ease pressure on healthcare systems and healthcare workers, and boost workforce productivity – contributing to long-term economic resilience.

Preventable diseases cost G20 economies more than USD 1 trillion annually in lost productivity among people aged 50 to 64. By protecting people’s health, immunization contributes to a healthy workforce, decreasing sick days, boosting productivity, and supporting economic growth.

A 2024 Office of Health Economics (OHE) report on the benefit-cost analysis of four adult immunization programs in 10 countries showed how these programs can produce returns of up to 19 times their initial investment to society when benefits beyond the healthcare system are quantified.

The findings highlight the opportunity to ease pressures on health services by adopting a prevention-first mindset that includes adult immunization programs.

Vaccines also play a critical role in tackling non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and can lower the risk of developing cancer.

For instance, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is highly effective in preventing HPV-related cancers. It has the potential to eliminate cervical cancer in certain countries during our lifetime, and radically reduce the burden of other HPV-related cancers, marking a significant milestone in the fight against this disease.

Similarly, improving access to and uptake of highly effective vaccines against Hepatitis B (HBV) is critical to reducing liver cancer. Together, vaccination against HPV and Hepatitis B could prevent over one million cancer cases worldwide every year.

People living with NCDs are at higher risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death from respiratory infections, such as COVID-19, influenza, pneumococcal disease, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Vaccines can help by reducing these risks, reduce complications, and alleviate healthcare burdens. For example, influenza vaccination in people with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) may reduce the risk of death by stroke by 50%, and from heart attack by 45%. For people living with a chronic respiratory disease – such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – the COVID-19 vaccine can reduce the risk of hospitalization due to infection by around 80%.

Emerging evidence also suggests that vaccines against diseases such as diphtheria, shingles and flu may help reduce the risk of neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, further underscoring the value of immunization across the life course.

Vaccines play a critical role in combatting antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

By preventing bacterial infections – such as those caused by pneumococcal and meningococcal bacteria, which can lead to pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis – they reduce the need for antibiotics in the first place. Vaccines also help prevent viral infections like flu, which are sometimes inappropriately treated with antibiotics, and can trigger secondary bacterial infections.

Several vaccines – including pneumococcal vaccines, Haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine (Hib), rotavirus vaccine, measles vaccines, and influenza vaccines – have demonstrated significant effectiveness against AMR. A report by WHO found that vaccines could avert more than half a million deaths associated with AMR, reduce antibiotic use by 22% or 2.5 billion doses, and reduce healthcare costs by up to USD 30 billion.

Alarmingly, while AMR-related deaths have declined by over 50% in young children, they have surged by more than 80% in adults over 70. This sharp rise underscores the importance of lifelong vaccination strategies to reduce AMR risks and protect aging populations.

Climate change poses an increasing threat to human health. Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events are driving the spread of infectious diseases, worsening respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, and putting additional strain on already stretched health systems.

It is estimated that in some regions, climate change could lead to a 20% increase in mosquito-borne diseases over the next 30 years. This is the result of disease-carrying mosquitos moving into new regions, putting more people at risk.

Existing vaccines can protect against diseases like dengue, malaria and yellow fever, and the pharmaceutical industry is working on future vaccines that could help protect against diseases like Zika, while being committed to minimizing the environmental impact of its operations and products on the planet.

Vaccinations prevented over 14 million deaths from COVID-19 in 185 countries and territories between December 2020 and December 2021. This estimate rose to over 19 million deaths averted when excess deaths are used as an estimate of the true extent of the pandemic.

Vaccines are crucial in helping us prepare for future health emergencies. Building on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, the pharmaceutical industry is committed to supporting the 100 Days Mission, which aims to develop and deploy vaccines and treatments within 100 days of a new pandemic threat being identified. For influenza, we could potentially have 8.26 billion doses available for the next pandemic. Sustaining investment in innovation and collaboration is critical to building on the scientific momentum from COVID-19 and ensuring the world is better equipped for the next global health emergency.