Avian flu: Expanding global vaccine production

“If governments are to be prepared for a potential avian-flu pandemic, they must bring pharmaceutical companies and health organizations into the strategic-planning process.” By Kenneth Bonheure, Pierre Keller, and Ken Somers Source: McKinsey Weekly Web exclusive, July 2006 With avian influenza spreading from Asia to Africa and Europe, governments are under increasing public pressure to counter the threat of a potentially deadly pandemic. They are already stockpiling antiviral drugs and vaccines, buying options on vaccine production capacity, and even using private-public partnerships to build production plants. Well intentioned though these multibillion-dollar programs may be, however, they are unlikely to help governments protect as many citizens as possible in the most efficient, cost-effective way. Read full paper