IMFIN brief 4: Vaccine decision-making

What should countries consider in deciding whether to introduce a new vaccine? What kinds of institutions and processes can strengthen vaccine decision-making?

Key points

• Decisions on introducing new vaccines have long-term implications for immunization costs as well as logistics systems and service delivery. The choice of vaccine presentation also affects cost and ease of delivery.
• In making these decisions, policymakers should consider disease burden; vaccine safety and efficacy; cost, cost-effectiveness, and affordability; operational feasibility and delivery requirements; and public perceptions and demand.
• Independent technical committees, often called national immunization technical advisory groups (NITAGs), can help ensure that decisions on new vaccine introduction are transparent, credible, and grounded in evidence.
• A variety of tools and assistance are available to help countries with decisions on new vaccines and to strengthen decision-making processes. PAHO’s ProVac Initiative is an impressive model of decision support.