Countries now have access to an unprecedented wave of new vaccine presentation and product options and alternative schedules, with more options in the pipeline. This expanding landscape provides an opportunity for countries to examine the vaccine portfolio to identify ways to improve coverage and impact, reduce costs and wastage, and lessen the burden on the cold chain and on health workers. Each switch comes with trade-offs — it is crucial that countries assess their priorities and weigh available evidence and programmatic factors for each option.
This website provides links to guidance, resources, and tools to support countries in navigating available options and making evidence-based decisions to optimize the cost, impact, logistics or programmatic ease of their vaccine portfolio.
Content
- Vaccine portfolio optimization guidance
- Guidance for Gavi-eligible countries
- Decision-making tools and resources
- Vaccine-specific information
Vaccine switch type definitions and examples
|
Switch type |
Definition and examples |
|
Product |
Change to a vaccine manufactured by a different supplier and/or with a different combination or strain composition Examples: - Switch from PCV13 to PCV10 - Switch from PCV10-4 (Synflorix) to PCV10-5 (PNEUMOSIL) |
|
Presentation |
Change to a different primary presentation (vial size, blow-fill-seal), formulation (liquid, lyophilised), or delivery technology (pre-filled syringe, patches) Examples: - Switch from ROTASIIL lyophilized to ROTASIIL liquid - Switch from 10-dose vials for MCV to 5-dose vials |
|
Schedule |
Change the dose schedule of the same vaccine Examples: - Switch from 3+0 schedule for PCV to 2+1 schedule - Switch from 2-dose HPV vaccine schedule for the target cohort to 1-dose schedule |
|
Use |
Change how the same vaccine in the same formulation is administered Example: - Switch from administering IPV as an intramuscular injection to administering as a fractional dose intradermal injection |
1. Vaccine portfolio optimization guidance
| Title | Author | Year | Type | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Principles and considerations for adding a vaccine to a national immunization programme - From decision to implementation and monitoring | World Health Organization (WHO) | 2014 | Guidance | Spanish |
2. Guidance for Gavi-eligible countries
| Title | Author | Year | Type | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gavi Product Menu | UNICEF | 2023 | Repository | English |
| Gavi Support Guidelines | Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance | 2023 | Guidance | English, French |
| Vaccine Detailed product profiles (DPPs) For Gavi-supported vaccines | Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance | Repository | English, French |
3. Decision-making tools and resources
Decision support tools and technical assistance
| Title | Author | Year | Type | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country-led Assessment for Prioritization in Immunization (CAPACITI) decision-support tool | World Health Organization (WHO) | 2020 | Tool | English, French, Portuguese, Spanish |
| Decade of Vaccine Economics (DOVE) | International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) | Tool | English | |
| Guidance on an adapted evidence to recommendation process for National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups | World Health Organization (WHO) | Guidance | English, Russian | |
| Immunization Decision-Making Resource Catalogue | World Health Organization (WHO) | 2023 | Tool | English |
| Resource Center for National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) worldwide | Global NITAG Network | Repository | Spanish | |
| Vaccine Economics Research for Sustainability and Equity (VERSE) | International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) | Tool | English |
Country experiences and lessons learned
| Title | Author | Year | Type | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Switch for Sustainability in Ghana's Rotavirus Vaccine Program | Professor George Armah | 2020 | Case study | English |
| Introducing 5-dose Measles-Rubella Vaccine Vials in Zambia: Research Findings | Dose Per Container Partnership | 2019 | Case study | English |
| The effects of switching from 10 to 5-dose vials of MR vaccine on vaccination coverage and wastage: A mixed-method study in Zambia | Ali Karim, Barbara Knittel, Frances Mwansa, Guissimon Phiri, Kirstin Krudwig, Natasha Kanagat, Robert Steinglass, Wendy Prosser | 2020 | Journal article | English |
4. Vaccine-specific information
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV)
| Title | Author | Year | Type | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Considerations for PCV product choice | World Health Organization (WHO) | 2021 | Guidance | English |
| PCV catch-up vaccination FAQ | CHOICES | 2023 | Guidance | English, French |
| Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Cost Calculator | PATH | 2020 | Tool | English |
| UNICEF Pricing Information-PCV | UNICEF | 2023 | Datasheet | English |
| Vaccine Detailed product profiles (DPPs) For Gavi-supported vaccines | Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance | Repository | English, French | |
| VIEW-hub data on PCV introductions, coverage, and products | International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC), Johns Hopkins University | Tool | English | |
| WHO position papers | World Health Organization (WHO) | Repository | Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish |
Rotavirus vaccines (RVV)
| Title | Author | Year | Type | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotavirus Vaccine Cost Calculator | PATH | Tool | English | |
| Summary of key characteristics of WHO Prequalified Rotavirus vaccines | World Health Organization (WHO) | Poster/infographic | English | |
| UNICEF Pricing Information-RVV | UNICEF | 2021 | Datasheet | English |
| Vaccine Detailed product profiles (DPPs) For Gavi-supported vaccines | Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance | Repository | English, French | |
| VIEW-hub data on RVV introductions, coverage, and products | International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC), Johns Hopkins University | Tool | English | |
| WHO position papers | World Health Organization (WHO) | Repository | Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish |
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines
| Title | Author | Year | Type | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HPV Vaccine Cost Calculator | PATH | 2022 | Tool | English, French, Spanish |
| HPV VACCINE SCHEDULE OPTIMIZATION Key considerations for decision-making, planning, and implementation | PATH, JSI, UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2023 | Guidance | English |
| UNICEF Pricing Information-HPV | UNICEF | 2021 | Datasheet | English |
| Vaccine Detailed product profiles (DPPs) For Gavi-supported vaccines | Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance | Repository | English, French | |
| VIEW-hub data on HPV introductions, coverage, and products | International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC), Johns Hopkins University | Tool | English | |
| WHO position papers | World Health Organization (WHO) | Repository | Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish |
Measles-containing vaccines (MCV / MR / MMR)
| Title | Author | Year | Type | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCV 5-dose Vial Assessment Support Tool | Linksbridge | Tool | English | |
| MCV vial size switch resources | Linksbridge | Repository | English | |
| UNICEF Pricing Information-MCV | UNICEF | 2021 | Datasheet | English |
| UNICEF Pricing Information-MMR | UNICEF | 2021 | Datasheet | English |
| UNICEF Pricing Information-MR | UNICEF | 2022 | Datasheet | English |
| Vaccine Detailed product profiles (DPPs) For Gavi-supported vaccines | Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance | Repository | English, French | |
| VIEW-hub data on MCV introductions, coverage, and products | International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC), Johns Hopkins University | Tool | English | |
| VIEW-hub data on MR introductions, coverage, and products | International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC), Johns Hopkins University | Tool | English | |
| WHO position papers | World Health Organization (WHO) | Repository | Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish |
Hexavalent Vaccine
Resources not available.