Dose per Container Partnership (DPCP)
The issue: Multi-dose containers are used to offer lower prices, higher supply volumes, and minimize cold chain storage and distribution requirements. As new, more expensive, vaccines are introduced in multi-dose presentations, maximizing the use of every dose in a container increases in importance. HCWs need to be more strategic about when to open a container; diligent about how they care for open containers, and potentially more active with communication and community outreach to ensure optimal attendance and timely vaccination of every child. Thus, the number of doses per container (DCP) may also impact on health systems in terms of timely, safe and equitable vaccination coverage, supply and cold chain, wastage rates, cost and HCW behavior.
Immunization stakeholders need information and tools to assess which dose per container presentations are appropriate for a country’s specific context and priorities.
Initial 2015 response: With Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) funding, JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI) helped identify evidence gaps by interviewing key stakeholders and analyzing existing research. An informal network of partners interested in advancing this work was created after a consultative meeting in July 2015.
Launch of the partnership: The Dose Per Container Partnership (DPCP) was launched in March 2016 as a project, funded by the BMGF and implemented by JSI in partnership with PATH, Agence de Médecine Préventive (AMP), Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), HERMES modeling team and the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) / Johns Hopkins University. The DPCP aims to address the complexity of vaccine product and program decision-making to include DPC considerations. Understanding and assessing the trade-offs between cost and health impact allows better informed decisions about the impact of the dose per container selected.
DPCP objectives and work streams: The DPCP project will run from February 2016 – December 2017, guided by a Technical Advisory Group (TAG), and aims to achieve two objectives:
i) To gain a deeper understanding of the decision making processes, trade-offs, data
and tools used to assess DPC decisions at global and national levels in order to recommend process improvements;
ii) To provide guidance and tools including trade-offs to be considered by countries and facilitate
sharing of best practices for country level decision makers.
These will be implemented through three technical work streams:
- A global cross-country review of current DPC-related decision making tools and processes;
- Prospective research studies in two African countriesl will include data collection to improve modeling efforts, economic analysis and see the actual effect on the various systems variables; and
- Synthesis of data supporting global level policy and country decisions.
Stakeholders: DPCP aims to inform, support and influence stakeholders at:
a) Global level, by providing evidence that fills critical gaps in knowledge, analysis, and policy. This includes ensuring that stakeholders will continue to be informed about sustainable decisions on DPC when considering vaccine products and program designs; and
b) Country level, by producing easy-to-use and -understand guides and tools to assess DPC tradeoffs, including cost and systems impact to inform vaccine product selection
Information about the DPCP will be made available through partners engaged with the project, the JSI website, announcements via the technet forum and various formal and informal opportunities where immunization practitioners meet globally, regionally or nationally.
http://jsi.com/JSIInternet/IntlHealth/project/display.cfm?ctid=na&cid=na&tid=40&id=22641
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