Merck Pulls Out Of Agreement To Supply Life-Saving Vaccine To Millions Of Kids

[TomSea]

Merck Pulls Out Of Agreement To Supply Life-Saving Vaccine To Millions Of Kids
Michaeleen Doucleff Twitter

A nurse vaccinates a baby against rotavirus, a deadly form of diarrhea. Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty
Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

The pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. Inc. is ending a long-term agreement to supply a lifesaving vaccine for children in West Africa.

At the same time, the company has started sending the vaccine to China, where it will likely be sold for a much higher price.

The vaccine is for a deadly form of diarrhea, called rotavirus, which kills about 200,000 young children and babies each year.

Merck's decision means it will fall short of its commitment to supply its rotavirus vaccine, RotaTeq, to four low-income countries in 2018 and 2019, according to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. By 2020, the company will completely stop delivering its vaccine.

Read more at: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/11/01/655844287/merck-pulls-out-of-agreement-to-supply-life-saving-vaccine-to-millions-of-kids

[Sanguine]

In 2011, Merck agreed to sell its rotavirus vaccine to low-income countries, via Gavi, for a greatly reduced price — about $3.50 per dose. In the U.S., each dose costs about 20 times that amount, or about $70 per dose.

So, if I understand correctly, Americans subsidize Merck's charity by overpaying for the vaccine.

[Frank Cannon]

Kids are our future.....unless they run around with guns and mow crowds down. Then they are our death. Come to think of it, yea Merck.