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Original poster

Born to Die vaccines campaign/ GAVI Conference

62 replies

SnailWhaleTail · 03/06/2011 14:05

So, further to Mumsnet HQs thread above about attending the GAVI conference on funding childhood vaccines in the developing world I'm really looking forward to Monday 13th when I'll be at the conference to see what transpires and which countries pledge what.

More info from Save the Children

And from ONEs website too

This info is really worth looking at and I'll post more as I get it.

Any comments on the campaign or points of discussion would be really interesting to hear.

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DamnYouAutocorrect · 13/06/2011 09:32

You should totally talk to her though! Say Mumsnet wants a word. (really!)

DamnYouAutocorrect · 13/06/2011 09:31

Yes, it's JK. Twitter is saying she's not wearing shoes

ALL the important news Grin

Original poster
SnailWhaleTail · 13/06/2011 09:18

Jemima Khan is also here supporting, she is sitting quietly in the social media room (I'm sure it's her but I can't possibly be so gauche as to ask!).

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Original poster
SnailWhaleTail · 13/06/2011 08:48

My hash is coming out funny!

Hash4mlives

Or follow @mumsnettowers or @SnailWhaleTail

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Original poster
SnailWhaleTail · 13/06/2011 08:46

I am now at Grange St Paul hotel, the venue of the conferenceGrin

It is very busy as you would imagine and I'm in the social media room with my wifi and my iPod touch!

DC will be doing his address at 9am preceded by Andrew Mitchell and followed by Nicholas Sarkozy (not sure if Carla will be here, looking 'bumpy' or svelte). The president of Liberia will also be speaking at some point.

The hashtag if you are on twitter is %234mlives

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Original poster
SnailWhaleTail · 12/06/2011 22:26

Bill Gates phone interview

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Original poster
SnailWhaleTail · 12/06/2011 21:34

It wasn't me conducting the interview, it was Natasha K asking the questions that were suggested via the website. I have the press info on his answers so will post it tomorrow.

Off to bed now as have to be in London at 7.30am!

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DamnYouAutocorrect · 12/06/2011 18:50

What happened with the telephone conversation then - did you get an answer on the longevity question?

Good luck tomorrow!

Original poster
SnailWhaleTail · 12/06/2011 17:51

The pledging conference is tomorrow and hopefully the full amount needed will be promised. We need to see what the USA and the larger European countries are going to commi.

DC is kicking off the conference with a speech at 0930 so look out for amounts in the media after the press conference in the afternoon.

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Original poster
SnailWhaleTail · 11/06/2011 14:00

www.savethechildren.org.uk/billgates

Follow this link if you have a question for Bill Gates on the vaccine campaign, he is doing a telephone interview tomorrow at 1130. I'm going to submit a question about the longevity of the project. I'll let you know if the question is answered.

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Gooseberrybushes · 10/06/2011 22:29

Which is my not so subtle way of saying I don't know the ratio of current spend.

Gooseberrybushes · 10/06/2011 22:23

From the GSK man on Radio 4 earlier this week. Wouldn't this or wouldn't that - I suppose I could look up and link some company figures to show spend. The two-thirds/one-third ratio is from American pharma corporate figures at least three or four years ago.

CelestinaWarbeck · 10/06/2011 19:44

Gooseberry - where does the 95% figure come from? If these are new vaccines, wouldn't a higher proportion be accounted for by R&D costs? (I'm no advocate for big pharma, but dimly remember that the R&D argument is always their explanation for new drugs being expensive.)

SNT - I think everyone got pissed on today Hmm i know I did...

Gooseberrybushes · 10/06/2011 19:02

I don't think these gestures should be accepted as glowing examples of generosity without questioning. There is a reason behind it - good publicity, and that's it. There is no "real" cost: of course, you could count the loss of the exploitative profit potential but that is probably less acheivable anyway through charities and in developing countries. So the pharmaceutical might as well make good out of bad, and sell it as a generous gesture. In all of this one shouldn't forget that such companies spend much more on marketing than they do on R and D: some studies of spend suggest twice as much. So all the pharmaceutical love-in's in the world shouldn't dent the cynical way we look at this.

Original poster
SnailWhaleTail · 10/06/2011 18:36

Gooseberry: How do you feel about that? What issues do you think that will raise in the future?

Celestina: you're too kind! About 1/2 hour I looked like a drowned rat walking to the tube after the heavens opened.

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CelestinaWarbeck · 10/06/2011 17:31

Oh you look very glam. What was Natasha Kerplinky like?

Gooseberrybushes · 10/06/2011 17:19

At least one if not both of the vaccines is being sold at five per cent of normal retail price, which is the cost price. This is a 95pc profit margin normally. Thus this gesture costs the pharmaceutical companies nothing (for a great PR return). It is paid for by other customers.

Original poster
SnailWhaleTail · 10/06/2011 16:50

Stuart's blog and pic of the hand in at No10

I'm the idiot on the end who forgot to take her sunglasses of her head for the pics! Sadly no tchtchkes or gewgaws, we must have looked a shifty bunch as we were only allowed to hand the envelopes over from the doorstep!

Pram: I'll look up those stories, seems like a backward step but I've only seen headlines atm. I doubt that'll be discussed on monday as its mainly a pledging conference, I can't wait to hear what Bill Gates says TBH.

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LindsayWagner · 10/06/2011 14:12

It's a gewgaw, Pram Wink

Pram1nTheHall · 10/06/2011 13:50

Whassa tchotchke?

Well done SWT. any pics?

Interesting news story today about generic anti-retroviral drugs - the story is that US/EU trade negotiators are going to drive generic manufacturers out of business. Will this be discussed at the conference?

LindsayWagner · 10/06/2011 12:48

Brilliant! How exciting SWT, though shame you didn't get to collar the Camster (or pocket a tchotchke).
That sounds a VERY good number of sigs, I think? Though to be honest I've not got anything to compare it with..

Original poster
SnailWhaleTail · 10/06/2011 12:45

Am standing at Waterloo after the grand hand-in! 350,000 signatures on the petition and it was a joint hand in by me and some lovely ladies from Save the Children.

The Save the Children ladies were on Daybreak and will also be on ITV at lunchtime so look out for them talking about their trip to Mozambique following the vaccine process. We had lots of pics for the Evening Standard outside No10 and then banged on the very shiny door to pass the envelopes in. I quite enjoyed the s l o w hand-in to the Downing St bod. Dave wasn't receiving visitors so we didn't go in sadly.

Hopefully the petition will show the level of support that people have for 'smart aid' and the results after the conference on monday will be positive. I will be at the conference in the press Social Media room (?) and will take my antique laptop so that I can mumsnet the details of what's going on although I believe there is an embargo on posting figures until the big announcement. I will tweet pics from @snailwhaletail if you fance following me on Twitter and @GAVIAllience will also be on top of all the info too undoubtably.

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StuartfromONE · 10/06/2011 12:24

Thats great LindsayWagner, thanks for love bombing all your friends! I'm not surprised they are scared, I too have a fearful admiration for the bionic woman Smile.

LindsayWagner · 10/06/2011 09:35

Ooh thanks Stuart, I'll take a look at that.
SnailWhaleTail, good luck today! Are you taking a Big Bag in case you see a little, um, souvenir?
I've signed the petitition and love-bombed my friends with a request that they do the same. They're scared of me, so I'm sure they will Wink

StuartfromONE · 09/06/2011 21:36

@Crumblemum Shaping markets and driving vaccine price reductions have always been a part of GAVI's strategic plan. By procuring vaccines in bulk through UNICEF and other mechanisms, GAVI ensures that there are viable markets to incentivize pharmaceutical companies to make cost-effective products. There's also been a growing number of personal commitments from pharmaceutical leaders (such as Andrew Witty of GSK) to playing a more engaged role in reducing prices to benefit the world's poor. Advocacy groups have also put important public pressure on the companies to reduce prices all along, and that has intensified this Spring ahead of the GAVI pledging conference.

@LindsayWagner It's an important question--vaccines alone are only 1 piece of the puzzle. Part of GAVI's budget for 2011-2015 includes financing for health systems strengthening (improving vaccine cold chains, supporting the health workforce, improving financial management, etc). To read more, visit www.gavialliance.org/vision/programme_support/hss/index.php