The study is the first global effort to systematically prioritize endemic pathogens based on their regional and global health impact.
It reconfirms long-standing vaccine research and development (R&D) priorities, particularly for HIV, malaria and tuberculosis. three diseases that collectively cause nearly 2.5 million deaths each year.
Particular attention is also being paid to pathogens such as group A streptococcus, which causes serious infections and contributes to 280,000 deaths from rheumatic heart disease, mainly in low-income countries.
Another new priority is Klebsiella pneumoniae — a bacteria associated with 790,000 deaths in 2019 and is responsible for 40 percent of neonatal deaths due to blood infection (sepsis) in low-income countries.
Focus on needs, not profit
The new study supports the goal of ensuring that everyone, everywhere can benefit from vaccines that protect against serious diseases.
It aims to shift the focus of vaccine development from commercial profits to regional and global health needs, said WHO’s Dr. Mateusz Hasso-Agopsowicz, who works in vaccine research.
He explained that in the past, vaccine R&D was generally influenced by profitability. Therefore, diseases that seriously affect low-income areas have received little attention.
“We hope this represents a crucial shift where we want to shift the focus from a business perspective on the cost-effectiveness of new vaccines to the real health burden so that research and development of new vaccines is driven by the health burden and not just by commercial opportunities,” he said from Poland.
Expert advice
To conduct the study, WHO asked international and regional experts what they thought was important when prioritizing pathogens for vaccine R&D. The criteria included deaths, diseases and socio-economic impact, or antimicrobial resistance.
“We asked experts with expertise in pathogen epidemiology, clinicians, pediatricians and vaccine experts from across WHO regions, to ensure that the list and results we produce truly reflect the needs of diverse populations around the world. » said Dr. Hasso-Agopsowicz.
Analysis of these preferences, combined with regional data for each pathogen, identified the 10 priority pathogens for each of the six WHO regions worldwide.
The regional lists were then aggregated to form the global list, resulting in the 17 priority endemic pathogens for which new vaccines are urgently needed.
To advance vaccine R&D, WHO has classified each pathogen based on the stage of vaccine development and the technical challenges of creating effective vaccines.
Dr Hasso-Agopsowicz said the study should guide future investments in vaccine R&D, including by funders, researchers and vaccine developers, but also by policymakers, as they “can decide to ‘introduce or not these vaccines into vaccination programs’.
