Prospects for future supplies of vaccines

The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations (IFPMA) represents virtually all the major manufacturers of sera and vaccines in Australia, Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The IFPMA has become increasingly concerned by the withdrawal of many companies from the vaccine field, and the consequent sharp reduction in available usable capacity. This reduction in usable capacity is especially significant for those vaccines included in the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) of the World Health Organization. IFPMA has advised the United Nations Children's Fund and the Pan American Health Organization that the economic viability of the industry can be improved, without affecting the principle of free competition, by changing procedures for procurement and forecasting by United Nations' agencies. In particular, the IFPMA believes that by using data on world population trends, world estimated forward requirements can be projected for the industry's use in planning future production requirements.