Document places Brazilian institutions among the top 15 immunization manufacturers

The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), through the Institute of Technology on Immunobiologicals (Bio-Manguinhos), is present in the ranking of the 15 main world producers of vaccines, according to a survey by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The 'Global Vaccine Market' report aims to capture lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight the opportunity for more ambitious global action: expanding sustainable access to vaccines for all towards the 2030 Immunization Agenda and prevention, preparedness, and response to pandemics.

The document is organized in two sections: the first provides information from WHO on the dynamics of the global vaccine market, based on data provided by Member States, which are, in turn, analyzed and displayed in the second section. In it, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom claims that although COVID-19 has highlighted the relevance of vaccines, it has also highlighted inequalities in access to immunizers.

'Low-income countries struggle to access vaccines that are in demand around the world. For example, the human papillomavirus vaccine, which protects against cervical cancer, has been introduced in only 41% of low-income countries, while saving lives in 83% of high-income countries. While prices tend to be staggered according to income, more efforts are needed to alleviate price disparities,' says Adhanom.

Bio-Manguinhos's vaccine portfolio comprises 12 products, including vaccines against COVID-19, yellow fever, polio, and the triple viral (measles, mumps, and rubella).

On average, 120 million doses are delivered annually to the National Immunization Program (PNI) of the Ministry of Health. With the coronavirus vaccine, this number increases even more. From 2017 to 2021, more than 701 million doses of vaccines were delivered to the Brazilian population.

Click here to access the report in full.

Journalist and translation: Juliana Xavier
Sources: WHO and CNN Brazil
Image: Bernardo Portella