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This news comes on the heels
of an announcement from the US Food and Drug Administration approving the
Merck vaccine, RotaTeq®. In addition, GlaxoSmithKline's vaccine, Rotarix™,
was recently approved by the European Agency for the Evaluation of
Medicinal Products. Both vaccines have also been licensed in a number of
countries around the world.
By introducing a rotavirus
vaccine, public health authorities in Brazil aim to reduce annual
hospitalizations due to severe gastroenteritis infections by nearly half,
saving the lives of 850 infants
each year, according to the
MOH. To
kick off immunization against
rotavirus, the government purchased eight million doses of the Rotarix™
vaccine at a cost of US$7 per dose, with the first vaccinations
administered in public clinics earlier this week. Aiming to further reduce
vaccine cost, the MOH will secure additional doses produced at Sao
Paolo-based biomedical center Butantan Institute beginning next
year.
This significant development
will not only bring a lifesaving intervention to the country's infants and
children, but the experiences of early-adopting countries such as Brazil
will also provide valuable lessons as other countries move forward in
bringing rotavirus vaccines to the public sector. Congratulations to
Brazil for taking the lead in what we hope will become a global movement
to save lives with these important vaccines.
Best
regards,
 John R. Wecker, PhD
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