Phacilitate Vaccine Forum Barcelona 2009

The Phacilitate Vaccine Forum comprised numerous plenary sessions and panel discussions. The highlights of the meeting were the discussion of new adjuvant technologies able to specifically target the immune system to drive the response down the required route. Also of topical interest was a session on the challenges of the current influenza pandemic, and strategies for vaccination and control of the disease. Finally, the session covering vaccines for tropical and emerging infectious diseases highlighted some of the niche vaccines that are being developed, in particular those for dengue and West Nile viruses, which show great promise. In addition to scientific promise, the value proposition for vaccine development in a risk-averse economy was outlined, citing expected growth in the worldwide market of more than US$25 billion within 5 years. This proposition was supported by the overviews of disposable and 'flex factory' manufacturing technologies, providing cost and time efficiencies in product development, which are especially critical for the emerging markets.