The developed world's involvement in the vaccine markets of the developing world is getting reduced as it is not remunerative and also because the market opportunities in the developed world are more profitable. This has given room to new competition from the developing world. This competition has potential to change the dynamics of the world vaccine market in the coming years, according to KV Balasubramaniam, managing director of Indian Immunologicals Ltd.

The developing world has only been seen as user of vaccines from the developed countries with more products in the later stage of the product life cycle and as imitators of technology of the developed world. The developing world has a direct need for vaccines, especially for infectious diseases and many countries do not have the resources or the technology to address the preventive health needs. This has led to copying of some of the products developed in the west and has earned the developing countries, the label of imitators.

Many diseases are still not addressed and child immunization levels are as low as 60 to 65 per cent in the developing world compared to 90 to 95 per cent in the developed world. The vaccine concerns in the developing world have more to do with efficacy, availability and affordability as against safety and side effects in the developed world, he added.

The MNC-led industry has had little involvement with such markets in the developing world and this has led to a widening gap in the supply of certain essential paediatric vaccines. This has given rise to new initiatives such as Global Alliance Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI) operated through the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to address child immunization requirements and vaccine supply to some part of the developing world and almost entirely to the least developed world.

He pointed, in the developed world, threat to life comes not from infection as in the developing world, but due to life style and systemic diseases. Therefore, it is not surprising that the share of paediatric vaccines is only 30 per cent in the developed world compared to 65 per cent in the developing world. This is despite the fact that on an average a child in the developed world is vaccinated against twelve diseases as compared to six in the developing world.

The industry thrives on new vaccines for adults such as those for human influenza, human papilloma etc. As is the case with the pharmaceutical industry, the vaccine industry is also driven by innovation with research on new vaccines and new delivery systems, he added.

The high level of development has also lead to the true benefits of the vaccines being under valued in the developed world and the concern about safety, leading to higher risks in the development process, he opined.