Donate
29
Apr
2020

May 12 webinar: Private sector views on COVID-19 vaccines (9a ET)

, , , , ,
Home > May 12 webinar: Private sector views on COVID-19 vaccines (9a ET)

Considerations for future SARS-CoV-2 vaccines: a private sector perspective

Several vaccine candidates are being tested to help address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  Uncertainty remains about key epidemiologic factors to characterize the disease, including true infection rate, proportion of symptomatic cases, and potential for re-infection.  As the virus spreads and data continue to develop, the potential role of vaccination will continue to evolve.  This presentation will describe some of the data needed to inform vaccination strategies, as well as guide the development and manufacture of future vaccines.  Partnerships between public, private, and academic research groups will be essential to ensure rapid and fair deployment of future vaccines, define a research agenda, and balance supply and demand in the early phases of vaccine availability.

Register

 

Speaker Dr. Craig Roberts is currently Associate Vice President for the Center for Observational and Real-world Evidence (CORE) Vaccines Product Line within Merck Research Labs.  In this role he leads a research team that designs and conducts observational research studies to characterize the public health and economic burden of vaccine preventable diseases globally.  The team develops data to evaluate the impact of Merck vaccines on disease and applies these data to communicate the value of vaccines to public health decision makers.  Prior to joining Merck, Dr Roberts was leading the health economic and outcomes research team supporting Global Vaccines and Consumer Products for Pfizer Inc.  Prior to joining Pfizer, Dr. Roberts led outcomes research operations at NDCHealth, where he was responsible for the design, conduct, and publication of health outcomes research studies from large US healthcare databases.  

Dr. Roberts has co-authored numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals including Vaccine, Stroke, CHEST, Value in Health, and Pharmacoeconomics.  He earned his PharmD and MPA degrees from the University of Kentucky, received an MBA from New York University, and completed a fellowship in health economics through GlaxoSmithKline and Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

Abstract

Background: Limited knowledge exists on the full cost of routine immunization in Africa. Ghana was the first African country to simultaneously introduce rotavirus, pneumococcal and measles second-dose vaccines. Given their high price, it would be beneficial to Ghanaian health authorities to know the true cost of their introduction.

Methods: The economic costs of routine immunization for 2011 and the incremental costs of new vaccines were assessed as part of a multi-country study on costing and financing of routine immunization known as the Expanded Program on Immunization Costing (EPIC). Immunization delivery costs were evaluated at the local facility, district, regional, and central levels. Stratified random sampling was used for district and facility selection. We calculated the allocation of nationwide costs to the four health-system levels.

Results: The total aggregated national costs for routine immunization—including vaccine costs—equaled US$53.5 million during 2011 (including central, regional, and district costs); this equated to US$60.3 per fully immunized child (FIC) when counting vaccine costs, or US$48.1 without. National immunization program delivery costs were allocated as follows: local facility level, 85% of total national cost; district, 11%; central, 2% and regional, 2%. Salaried labor represented 61% of total costs, and vaccines represented 17%. For new vaccine introduction, programmatic start-up costs amounted to US$3.9 million, primarily due to salaried labor (66%). The mean facility-level cost per vaccine dose administered in a routine immunization program was US$5.1 (with a range of US$2.4-7.8 depending on facility characteristics) and US$3.7 for delivery costs.

Discussion: We identified a high cost per fully immunized child, mostly due to non-vaccine costs at the facility level, which indicates that immunization program financing—whether national or donor-driven—must take a broad viewpoint. This substantial variation in overall costs emphasizes the additional effort associated with reaching children in various settings.

Download document
  • Primary authorLogan Brenzel, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • LanguageEnglish
  • Filters2015, English, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, EPIC, costing, financing, vaccine introduction, routine immunization, global, article

Submit your work

Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest research and job opportunities in our community.

Submit
Previous PostNext Post