Value of Vaccines
Vaccines have eradicated many life-threatening diseases and have provided an unprecedented contribution to global public health. In the first half of this decade, the global vaccine market has developed into an attractive and highly profitable market that has drawn the attention of most, if not all, major pharmaceutical companies. The vaccine market is outperforming the more traditional pharmaceutical markets, and has experienced an annual growth rate of more than 16%, expecting to hit the 20 billion USD mark around 2010. This growth will even further increase with many vaccines with blockbuster potential likely to reach the market in the next few years. Important growth drivers are the increased public awareness of infectious disease threats, such as seasonal and pandemic influenza, and scientific and technological breakthroughs that improve the efficacy of vaccines and open up the possibility to develop therapies that fulfill previously unmet medical needs.