RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 COVID-19 Vaccine Collaborative Supply Planning: Is This the Next Frontier for Routine Immunization Supply Chains?
JF Global Health: Science and Practice
JO GLOB HEALTH SCI PRACT
FD Johns Hopkins University- Global Health. Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Communication Programs
SP e2300150
DO 10.9745/GHSP-D-23-00150
VO 12
IS Supplement 1
A1 Akhlaghi, Laila
A1 Prosser, Wendy
A1 Rakotomanga, Avotiana
A1 Makena, Janet
A1 Azubike, Tochukwu
A1 Bello, Yahaya
A1 Emelike, Samson
A1 Mothetsi, Liteboho
A1 Motuba, Moroke
A1 Olayemi, Victor
A1 Samba, Sam
A1 Suh, Silvestre
A1 Ramaroson, Stevens
A1 Yarro, Fatimata dit Ngo
YR 2024
UL http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/12/Supplement_1/e2300150.abstract
AB Key FindingsTo support the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, a collaborative partnership, the Vaccine Collaborative Supply Planning Initiative, developed supply planning approaches building upon experiences from other health program products to review past consumption patterns and apply them to understanding inventory situations, requirements, and shipments.This Initiative applied best practices for supply planning, established a collaborative model with government decision-makers and partners, and used an adaptive learning approach to respond to the challenges of rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine.Key ImplicationImmunization program managers can adapt this supply planning approach for routine vaccines to improve visibility into consumption and stock status and contribute to strengthening the overall management of the immunization supply chain.In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine manufacturers quickly pivoted to develop vaccines, offering limited visibility into production timelines and quantities. Low- and middle-income countries developed vaccine introduction plans within the context of constrained global supply, unknown vaccine availability or timelines, and unknown demand. The Vaccine Collaborative Supply Planning (VCSP) Initiative was established to address the gaps in visibility of supply and demand of COVID-19 vaccines for improved supply planning. The Initiative drew from experiences with supply planning for other health program products. The Initiative’s 2 goals for introducing COVID-19 vaccines were to: (1) incorporate the use of supply chain data for forecasting, supply planning, and resupply decisions; and (2) establish a collaborative model for governments and partners to learn and implement. Beginning in September 2021, the Initiative was operational in 15 countries through strategic partnerships with government immunization programs and 7 partnering organizations. Partners noted the Initiative offered several benefits: enabled visibility into stock status; provided ability to triangulate service delivery and stock data; provided insight into products at risk of expiry; facilitated tracking of monthly consumption patterns to inform decisions; offered ability to create forecasting scenarios; provided support to national logistics working groups; improved coordination at the country level; created trust through transparency across global partners; and offered opportunity for real-time adjustments through adaptive learning. Partners also noted challenges, including the influence of political decisions and the availability of quality data. The Initiative successfully applied best practices for supply planning, established a collaborative model with government decision-makers and partners, and used an adaptive learning approach to respond to the challenges of rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine. Lessons learned and recommendations suggest how this approach can be used to strengthen forecasting and supply planning for all vaccines as the COVID-19 vaccine is integrated into routine services.