The supply chain of vaccines

 

Since its discovery in December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic is responsible for more than 26.9 M confirmed infections and over 880 K deaths. A vital race is on as humanity begins to adapt its response to the epidemic–a race to find, develop and deliver a potentially life-saving vaccine.

In order for a vaccine to successfully minimize or eradicate an infectious disease, the supply chain must function optimally to fulfill vital demand areas while still maintaining vaccine viability.

There are several factors that make a vaccine supply chain unique:

• The Cold Chain: Most vaccines must be transported and stored in a constant cold chain of temperatures ranging from two to eight degrees Celsius – from manufacturing all the way through to the immunization of a patient. This places a strain on the delivery, particularly in the last mile, when vaccines are distributed to remote populations in countries with limited infrastructure and electricity.
• Packaging: Decisions around single syringes versus multi-dose vials affect supply chain capacity.
• Ancillary Products: Glass vials, stoppers, needles, syringes, raw materials, and more are all needed for successful administration of the vaccine.
• Production Planning: The long production timelines and short shelf-lives require a combination of accurate demand forecasting and agile product planning.

Restricted storage capacity, particularly within the cold chain, can lead to waste if the inventory and need exceed the ability of the supply chain to transport a vaccine continuously from source to final destination. But limited storage space can also be offset in a health facility or warehouse by adjusting delivery frequency, direction, mode of transportation, or even facilitating vaccine distribution.