The GAVI Alliance has appealed to donors for $3.7 billion to be pledged during an upcoming conference despite announcements by several major pharmaceutical companies to lower the prices of their vaccines for childhood diseases, the Associated Press/Washington Post reports (6/6). GAVI is facing the $3.7 billion shortfall “in its planned $6.8 billion expansion of vaccination programmes from 2011 through 2015,” Nature News Blog notes.

The U.K. on Monday announced “it would match funds raised by GAVI from the private sector worldwide,” the blog reports. In addition, “[p]rospects for a successful outcome received a boost last month when G8 countries lent their support to the alliance at the G8 summit in Deauville in France, with their final declaration stating that the G8 recognized ‘the impact of the GAVI Alliance and strongly welcome its efforts to expand access to new and under-used life-saving vaccines'” (Butler, 6/6).

An analysis by the Guardian examines the debate “over how best to run vaccination programmes, with charities and aid agencies critical of pharma company links” (Boseley, 6/6).