This white paper from Axmed highlights both the progress and the untapped potential of vaccines in reshaping global health. Immunization has saved 154 million lives over the past five decades, nearly half the global decline in infant mortality, but as many as 75 million additional deaths could have been prevented with equitable access. The report argues that the central challenge is no longer scientific discovery, but delivery: ensuring that geography, income, and system capacity no longer determine who receives life-saving protection.
The paper calls for a paradigm shift in how vaccine equity is pursued, placing availability, accessibility, and affordability at the center of design and policy. It outlines practical pathways to close the gap, including strengthening local manufacturing, harmonizing regulatory approvals, expanding last-mile delivery through community and digital innovations, and leveraging innovative financing to lower costs and ensure supply security. Vaccines, the authors emphasize, not only save lives but also combat antimicrobial resistance, potentially reducing global antibiotic use by 2.5 billion doses annually and saving $30 billion in hospital costs. The report concludes that realizing the “full potential of vaccines” demands bold, coordinated action across governments, funders, and industry to make equity the starting point, not the afterthought.
Axmed advances access to quality medicines in low- and middle-income countries by combining a technology-driven platform with specialized global health advisory expertise.
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