New vaccines are constantly being discovered and developed. Existing vaccines are continuously being improved. Novel approaches to producing, storing, and administrating vaccines are being put in place.

This vaccine innovation happens because universities, research institutions, biotechs, and the innovative pharmaceutical industry are dedicated to science, scientific ingenuity, and sustained investment.

Bridging the gap between breakthrough discoveries and revolutionary vaccines, companies are uniquely placed to share the benefits of scientific innovation with communities worldwide.

Vaccines currently protect against 30 different infectious diseases. They help to prevent certain infections, such as Human Papillomavirus, which can lead to cancers like cervical cancer, as well as Hepatitis B, which could trigger liver cancer.

Recently launched vaccines include those that help protect against meningococcal diseases, Ebola, malaria, COVID-19, and HPV-related cancers including cervical cancer.

Companies have developed a promising pipeline that includes vaccines for tuberculosis, multivalent meningitis, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This sustained vaccine innovation lies at the heart of our partnerships, such as with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, COVAX, and the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.

Increasing protection against more diseases and disease strains. Creating new formulations. Combining vaccines to make them more accessible. Exploring new technologies that help vaccines work better and offer longer protection. Developing vaccine technologies that make it easier to scale up or rapidly pivot production to tackle new variants and other viruses with pandemic potential.

The innovative pharmaceutical industry is constantly at work.

To grow our collective impact over the next five years, companies commit to innovating new vaccine solutions. In addition, they aim to reach the most in need and underserved, support the strengthening of immunization services, prepare for public health emergencies, and partner to maximize impact. Working together, we can scale vaccine innovation through sustained immunization to make sure no one is left behind.

There are currently nearly 260 vaccine candidates being developed through a range of technical platforms to protect against diseases and pathogens that lack effective vaccines.

Innovative pharmaceutical companies have helped launch new vaccines for COVID-19, HIV, Zika, Norovirus, Alzheimer’s disease, Lyme Disease, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), dengue, and Group B streptococcus.

It’s important to remember that vaccine innovation can be a long, challenging process. It took 50 years of trial and error before Jonas Silk’s polio vaccine was introduced. A vaccine against HIV/AIDS is yet to be developed, 40 years after the virus appeared.

But, after more than 50 years researching, scientists have finally developed a malaria vaccine, the first for any parasitic disease, with what is being called “world-changing” potential.

Companies are working on improving existing vaccines so that they perform better for longer against diseases like meningitis, pneumonia, and flu.

They are also developing COVID-19 vaccines that can be given in one dose with others, such as with flu and pneumonia vaccines.

At the same time, they are improving how vaccines are made, distributed, and administered to improve access and affordability.

Our goal is to make sure the global community can tackle current and future threats and help eradicate, eliminate, or control infectious diseases.

Vaccines help prevent and control outbreaks, tackle endemic and pandemic diseases, protect the health impacts of climate change, and lower health inequalities. They help improve the economies of lower-income countries.

Every year, vaccines prevent 4-5 million deaths in all age groups from diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), influenza, and measles. If global vaccination coverage improved, an extra 1.5 million deaths could be avoided yearly.

Helping prevent and control outbreaks. Tackling endemic and pandemic diseases. Protecting the health impacts of climate change, and lowering health inequalities. Vaccines are playing a crucial role in achieving 14 out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Ultimately, vaccines improve financial security for society. This can lead to greater investment and improved political and economic stability.

Between 2016 and 2030, vaccines will help prevent 24 million people in some of the world’s poorest countries from slipping into poverty, by allowing families to avoid the often-heavy healthcare costs that infectious diseases can bring.

On top of these savings made on medical costs, when the value of a life saved is included, the return on investment rises to USD 51 per dollar invested in immunization.

The life-course approach recognizes the role of vaccination as a strategy to prevent diseases and maximize health over a person’s entire life, regardless of age.

Policies that support immunization across the life-course have many benefits, including individual and population health, health system resilience and sustainability, and economic prosperity.

IFPMA calls on global and regional stakeholders and governments to strengthen pandemic preparedness and responsiveness by taking a life-course immunization approach. This will expand access to vaccines, improve uptake, and ensure optimal protection of all populations.

Vaccines prevent commonly acquired bacterial infections, whose treatment would require antimicrobial medicines, reducing the opportunity for bacteria to develop resistance.

For instance, after the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccine was recommended for use in Canada in 1988, cases of Hib disease dropped by 97% from 1986 to 2017.

There are 124 Vaccines that can prevent viral infections, often treated inappropriately with antibiotics, which can give rise to secondary infections that require antibiotic treatment.

A compelling and growing evidence base demonstrates that vaccines are also a critical complementary tool to mitigate the threat of AMR. To maintain the effectiveness of antibiotics over an extended period of time, we need to not only ensure appropriate use of antibiotics, but as part of coordinated stewardship plan, maximize the impact of vaccination on AMR.

Vaccines can prevent community-acquired bacterial infections, which can curb the spread of resistance and also reduces antibiotic consumption. Vaccines against certain viral disease like influenza can also help reduce opportunities for inappropriate antibiotic use, and can further prevent secondary bacterial infections in susceptible patients which would need to be treated with antibiotics.

The innovative pharmaceutical industry plays a vital role in maintaining and growing confidence in vaccination by researching, developing, and communicating around vaccines with demonstrated safety and efficacy profiles.

Through impactful partnerships, member companies build capacities and networks to support resilient and sustainable national immunization programs around the world. Together, they communicate and collaborate to maintain and grow confidence in vaccination.

Member companies support:

Together with our partners, we and our members are determined to grow the vaccinated community until universal immunization is achieved.

Innovative pharmaceutical companies make a unique and vital contribution. They develop new and improved vaccines, scale up supply, provide a reliable supply of quality and effective vaccines, and help make sure vaccines reach the communities who need them most.

They have developed business models that enable them to invest to ensure vaccines can be produced and supplied reliably today and improved vaccines and new technologies developed for tomorrow.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, was created as a public-private partnership with the help of IFPMA member companies. IFPMA representatives have one seat on the Gavi Board and one on the Gavi Program Policy Committee.

The benefits of this partnership when it comes to scaling vaccine innovation and supply are clear.

Gavi provides aggregated demand and secured financing for the purchase of vaccines. This enables IFPMA’s innovative pharmaceutical member companies to scale-up vaccine manufacturing capacity to deliver the volumes required.

Our member companies’ work with Gavi has not just resulted in the production of life-saving vaccines. It has increased access to them.

Today, IFPMA members’ engagement with Gavi extends beyond vaccine development, testing, production, storage, distribution, and building manufacturing capacity in the global south. It supports national procurement and makes sure health systems have the capacity to deliver and administer vaccines.

Additionally, companies offer training for healthcare workers and immunization managers.