MENINGOCOCCAL VACCINES MARKET ANALYSIS

The high cost of meningococcal vaccines can hamper the global meningococcal vaccines market growth. Developing advanced vaccines requires huge investments in research and clinical trials over many years. Vaccine manufacturers have to recover these huge research and development costs through the prices of the vaccines. However, pricing vaccines at elevated levels makes them unaffordable for large populations in low and middle-income countries. Vaccines for meningococcal disease, such as serogroup B meningococcal vaccines, typically have a list price in developed markets between US$ 150 to US$ 250 per dose. This is significantly higher than most traditional childhood vaccines which cost under US$ 50 per dose. The high cost becomes a major barrier especially in developing nations where a vast majority cannot afford or have access to subsidized vaccination programs for such expensive vaccines. Most countries spend only US$ 1-2 per person annually on immunization, which is not enough to cover advanced meningococcal vaccines through national programs.

Market Opportunities: Growing research and development activities for meningitis vaccines

Increasing R&D activities for developing meningitis vaccines can offer opportunity for the global meningococcal vaccines market growth. Meningitis remains a major public health challenge worldwide, especially in developing countries. According to WHO, meningococcal meningitis leads to approximately 250,000 infections and 26,000 deaths annually across Africa's meningitis belt alone. The high disease burden has prompted extensive research efforts for effective vaccination programs. Pharmaceutical companies and research institutions are actively working on improving the existing vaccine technologies as well as developing new and advanced vaccines. Several candidates are in clinical trial phases for immunization against the various serogroups of Neisseria meningitidis bacteria. This includes vaccines promising broader protection coverage as well as single-dose vaccines for ease of use. For example, Pfizer and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation collaborated to develop an affordable meningococcal conjugate vaccine for use in Africa and Asia. Such initiatives have helped accelerate the R&D of vaccines tailored for resource-poor regions disproportionately affected by meningitis outbreaks.