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Case study
Helping poor countries prepare for a flu pandemic
Scientific experts are warning of a potential global flu pandemic - possibly caused by the H5N1 strain, a form of bird flu. Such an outbreak could result in millions of deaths. There are concerns that poor countries will suffer most because they cannot afford the vaccines and medicines they need to prevent and treat flu.
We are supporting preparations for a pandemic by researching new influenza vaccines and making these available through donations and tiered pricing. Our new pre-pandemic H5N1 vaccine enables immune responses to be obtained using a smaller dose, allowing protection of a greater number of people from the same amount of antigen, the active ingredient in the vaccine.
In 2007 we committed to donate 50 million doses of our pre pandemic H5N1 flu vaccine to a stockpile. In the event of an outbreak these doses can be rapidly distributed to the world's poorest countries. Our donation will enable 25 million people to be treated with two doses each. Our H5N1 flu vaccine will also be available for sale to the WHO and directly to poorer countries at preferential prices. This is part of our wider commitment to tiered pricing for vaccines.
