Nov 16, 2020 - Health

Coronavirus sparks competition in the vaccine market

Sam Baker

Illustration of a hand in a glove holding a glowing syringe — Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

The coronavirus has sparked a new and highly competitive vaccine-development race, but competition in the sector had previously been declining for years, according to a report from the liberal Open Markets Institute, which was shared with Axios.

By the numbers: The number of drug companies producing vaccines shrunk considerably in the '80s and '90s, according to the report, leaving just eight companies producing recommended childhood vaccines in 1996.

That number dwindled to just 4 manufacturers by 2002, when several childhood vaccines went into shortage.

The big picture: When the U.S. faced a shortage of flu vaccines in 2004, a big cash infusion from the federal government helped boost production. The billions of taxpayer dollars on offer now through Operation Warp Speed have once again helped jump-start vaccine work.

But it has lagged when federal money hasn't been there to prop it up.

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Coronavirus sparks competition in the vaccine market

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