Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and UNICEF have welcomed the news that a new oral cholera vaccine (OCV), Euvichol-S, has now received WHO prequalification and can be made available to countries around the world.
In a joint statement Thursday, they said the prequalification of the new product would help EuBiologics, the manufacturer, to produce more volumes of vaccine, faster, and at a lower cost – a key step to expanding supply amidst the ongoing acute global upsurge of cholera outbreaks.
The statement disclosed that the approval would help increase the overall supply of OCV available in 2024, with approximately 50 million doses now forecasted to be available to the global stockpile this year, compared to 38 million in 2023.
Cholera has been surging globally since 2021, with high case fatality rates despite availability of simple, effective and affordable treatment.
