To support the development of our vaccine candidates and rapid-response technologies, we are also creating disease taskforces, funding epidemiological studies, and conducting our own scientific research.
Researcher preparing a DNA analyser. Image credit: James Gathany
Vaccines can be powerful tools for preventing outbreaks of infectious diseases becoming humanitarian crises. However, developing these vaccines requires significant investment and evidence on what it would cost to successfully develop an effective vaccine against such diseases are scarce.
We assessed 224 vaccine candidates from preclinical through to phase 2 for 11 priority epidemic infectious diseases. Out study showed that the cost of progressing at least one vaccine through to the end of phase 2a for each of the 11 diseases would cost a minimum of $2.8-$3.7 billion ($1·2 billion–$8·4 billion range). By comparison, the global cost of a moderately severe to severe pandemic is thought to be as much as $570 billion.
You can read the full research paper in The Lancet Global Health.
Number of vaccine candidates against 11 priority epidemic infectious diseases identified through CEPI research.
The minimum average cost for progressing one vaccine against each of WHO’s 11 priority epidemic infectious diseases
The estimated annual global cost of moderately severe to severe pandemics
We are continuing to map available vaccine candidates against emerging infectious disease and their associated costs, concentrating on the vaccine research and development pipelines for diseases listed in the World Health Organisation’s R+D Blueprint (ie, Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever, Lassa fever, MERS-CoV, Severe Acute Respiratory syndrome, Nipah, Rift Valley Fever, Zika, Ebola and Marburg).
We are also mapping vaccine candidates for other diseases that have epidemic potential not included in the R+D Blueprint priority list, including Chikungunya and Severe Fever with Thrombocytopaenia Syndrome.
If you are working within this space and would like to contribute information about your vaccine candidate against epidemic disease threats, please email us [email protected].
Vaccines can be powerful tools for preventing outbreaks of infectious diseases with epidemic potential becoming humanitarian crises. However, developing these vaccines requires investment and evidence on what it would cost to successfully develop an effective vaccine against such diseases is scarce.
We currently have six Lassa vaccine candidates within our portfolio. While all candidates are currently in their preclinical phase, clinical trials in countries with outbreaks of Lassa could start over the next few years.
In order to run these clinical trials, epidemiological data is essential, however the data currently available is not sufficient. We will be funding epidemiological studies of Lassa fever in West Africa to inform future trial design, endpoints and site selection for Lassa vaccine development. Research groups interested in performing such studies initially expressed their interest through an application form online. Some of those applicants were then selected for prequalification and invited to apply for funding through a formal request for proposals launched at the end of 2018. In order to determine how these epidemiological studies should be conducted, prequalified applicants were invited to a Lassa workshop in November 2018 to discuss the core protocol needed for these studies.
We currently have six Lassa vaccine candidates within our portfolio. While all candidates are currently in their preclinical phase, clinical trials in countries with outbreaks of Lassa could start over the next few years.
In order to run these clinical trials, epidemiological data is essential, however the data currently available is not sufficient. We will be funding epidemiological studies of Lassa fever in West Africa to inform future trial design, endpoints and site selection for Lassa vaccine development. Research groups interested in performing such studies initially expressed their interest through an application form online. Some of those applicants were then selected for prequalification and invited to apply for funding through a formal request for proposals launched at the end of 2018. In order to determine how these epidemiological studies should be conducted, prequalified applicants were invited to a Lassa workshop in November 2018 to discuss the core protocol needed for these studies.
