The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday it had reached an agreement with six vaccine suppliers to provide a combined vaccine against five deadly childhood diseases for half the price it currently pays. An estimated 5.7 million deaths a year could be averted under the deal to send 450 million doses to 80 countries between 2017-2020, the agency added. "We will be able to procure pentavalent vaccine to protect children ... for less than $1 a dose," Shanelle Hall, director of UNICEF's supply and procurement division, told a news briefing. The deal, which took 16 years to reach, will bring down the average price to 85 cents a dose, half the amount that UNICEF currently pays, generating savings for donors and governments. It took time to expand a base of vaccine suppliers, which will reduce the risk of shortages, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance said in a statement.

Source: CBC News October 19, 2016 17:26 UTC