February 18, 2014

Drug and Vaccine Safety in Global Health

A new report on drug and vaccine safety in global health, co-authored by Thomas Bollyky, Senior Fellow, Council for Foreign Relations, and Andy Stergachis, is now available. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this report is the product of the Safety Surveillance Working Group, a year-long initiative to develop a practical, scalable strategy for improving drug and vaccine safety in low- and middle-income countries.

Drugs and vaccines are reaching unprecedented numbers of people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). These products have tremendous potential to save lives and reduce suffering, but many of the countries in which these products will be used do not have the capacity to effectively monitor their post-market safety. International initiatives have sought to address this gap, but have not attracted significant donor or industry support, or political capital and resources from LMIC governments. With new donor funding scarce in this weak global economy, substantial new resources for addressing post-market safety needs may not be forthcoming. Given limited resources and expanding post-market safety needs, a new strategy is needed. Read the full report.