Another Pandemic is ‘Evolutionarily Certain,’ Gavi CEO Warns, Highlighting Vaccine Access Challenges
WASHINGTON – The world is “evolutionarily certain” to face another pandemic, according to seth Berkley, outgoing CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, who underscored the critical need for continued investment in vaccine development, manufacturing capacity, and equitable global access. Speaking on the First Opinion Podcast, Berkley detailed lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and outlined ongoing challenges in ensuring affordable vaccine availability worldwide.
Berkley highlighted the unprecedented scale of vaccine production achieved during the COVID-19 crisis, wiht 11 billion doses manufactured in 2021 alone – a figure exceeding initial predictions. He credited developing country manufacturers and contract manufacturers for significantly bolstering global capacity. However, he cautioned that sustained effort is needed to maintain and expand this capability.
A key focus, Berkley emphasized, is driving down vaccine costs. He pointed to Gavi’s success in negotiating prices for the 11 vaccines recommended by the World Health Institution (WHO) for all children. while these vaccines cost approximately $1,300 in the United States,Gavi secured them for $24. “The challenge is to try to continue to reduce those prices while keeping the quality up,” Berkley stated, “as of course what we ultimately want are countries to pay for their own vaccines.” He envisions this cost reduction benefiting not only the poorest nations currently supported by Gavi, but also middle- and even high-income countries facing budgetary constraints.
Berkley expressed particular satisfaction with the rollout of new vaccines, specifically citing the recent introduction of a malaria vaccine.”Malaria is a disease that is killing hundreds and hundreds of thousands of children every year,” he explained. “Seeing the lines of people lining up to get the vaccine…for every 200 children you vaccinate, you save a life. That’s pretty good.”
To support emerging manufacturers, Gavi is offering subsidies to enable them to compete for vaccine tenders. “We’ll subsidize those doses so that you can compete in a tender for reasonable priced vaccines,” Berkley explained. “And of course, eventually you’ll have to get there on your own, but this will give you a leg up during that period and to try to help encourage this work.”
the conversation underscored the importance of proactive preparation for future pandemics, emphasizing that affordable and accessible vaccines are a cornerstone of global health security.
