ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the economics of vaccine supply and usage; its principal goal is to raise awareness of the types of policies and conditions necessary for ensuring an appropriate future level of global investment in vaccine research and supply. It explains some of the factors responsible for limiting the economic returns available in the "traditional" vaccine markets. The chapter reviews some economic studies of the benefits generated by vaccines in rich and poor communities. It looks forward to the future and discusses the key economic influences likely to shape the world vaccines market in the years leading to the 21st century. The chapter suggests that vaccines for human use are from the viewpoint of commercial, Western world producers usually seen as low-cost, low-return products, the supply of which entails considerable work and some risk of costly legal interventions consequent on alleged adverse reactions.
