The cost of life-saving vaccines

The price of vaccines has escalated and some poor countries are struggling prevent children from catching certain life-threatening diseases.

The price of vaccines has escalated and some poor countries are struggling prevent children from catching certain life-threatening diseases.

The price of vaccines has escalated and some poor countries are struggling prevent children from catching certain life-threatening diseases.

Rob and Neil talk about the price of vaccines

The first laboratory-developed vaccine was produced in 1879. The vaccine was against what was called chicken cholera.

to immunise = to give someone a medicine that stops them from catching particular diseases.

transparency clarity, doing things in an open way, without secrets

out of proportion exaggerated

to verify to provide evidence that confirms something is really true

Today we’re going to talk about the cost of keeping people healthy. The price of life-saving vaccines has escalated – has gone up - and some of the world’s poorer countries are struggling to immunise children

the organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres is criticising the pharmaceutical companies which produce the vaccines

According to Medecins Sans Frontieres, between 2001 and 2014 there was a 68-fold increase in vaccine prices.

and they’re asking for more transparency around prices. Transparency means clarity, something done in an open way, without secrets.

we also simply do not know the cost of production and if GlaxoSmithKline says that it costs more than we are saying it does, then they should simply submit to some sort of audit to ensure that we can verify the cost of production.

to formally give something to someone so that they can make a decision about it The plans will be submitted next week.

laxoSmithKline says that around 80% of all their vaccines, including the one mentioned by Malpani, are provided to developing countries at a substantial discount.

And the company adds that the pneumococcal vaccine is one of the most complex they’ve ever manufactured because it combines 10 vaccines in one.

Some vaccines may be very affordable for a person in a rich country

he American scientist Albert Sabin, in fact developed an oral vaccine against polio in the 1950s – still very useful.

Now the situation has escalated and four people have been killed. To escalate is defined as to increase quickly, to become more serious or to become worse. An example of escalate is when the price of grain quickly goes up.

It criticises the drug companies which reply that they can’t make such complex medicine cheaper than they already do.

between 2001 and 2014 there was a 68-fold increase in vaccine prices.

to submit = to formally give something to someone so that they can make a decision about it The plans will be submitted next week.

substantial =large in amount or degree The study reveals very substantial differences between population groups.

Combine flour, milk and butter in a bowl. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.