The global impact of vaccines containing aluminium adjuvants

Immunization against childhood vaccine-preventable diseases has arguably had the greatest impact on the health of children of any public health intervention. Many of the vaccines used in the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) have contained aluminium-based adjuvants. As such, these adjuvants have played a vital role in enabling the basic vaccines to be used effectively. DTP global supply is fragile and could easily be upset through the loss of even one major vaccine manufacturer. Non-aluminium adjuvants could not readily replace aluminium adjuvants. New generation vaccines will probably need new generation adjuvants. The impact of vaccines with adjuvants is discussed. Having provided decades of reliable, safe service in their relatively simple chemical formulations, adjuvants are likely to be with us, in one form or another, for the indefinite future. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.