Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial commitment they intend to make to the Advanced Market Commitment pilot for pneumococcal vaccine beyond 2020; and what estimate they have made of the expected total funding.

The Advance Market Commitment (AMC) for Pneumococcal Vaccines is a dynamic financing instrument of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Its objective is to reduce deaths from severe pneumonia by reducing the cost of the pneumococcal vaccine. The AMC does this by incentivising vaccine manufacturers and generating greater competition by encouraging additional manufacturers to the market. So far, 114 million children have been vaccinated with AMC-supported pneumococcal vaccines, saving 762,000 lives.

The expected total funding for DFID’s contribution to AMC is $485 million from 2010 until the programme completes in 2020. To date, the UK have made no new financial commitments for AMC beyond completion of the programme in 2020. As part of the planning process for the next phase for Gavi, the UK and other stakeholders are exploring all innovative financing options which can improve global immunisation in poor countries.