POST 00504E : VACCINE WASTAGE

POST 00504E : VACCINE WASTAGE Follow-up on Posts 00311, 00316, 00320, 00324, 00345, 00349, 00404E, 00462E, 00473E and 00478E. 26 September 2002 _________________________________________________________ Andy Tucker (mailto:[log in to unmask]) from PATH/Cambodia has some comments and questions on vaccine wastage particularly regarding BCG. _________________________________________________________ A couple comments about the 10-dose vs 20-dose BCG ampoules, I have heard the economic argument before and find it to be a poor one. Switching to smaller ampoules may only save 2% to 8%. But if you are never using more than 10 doses, which is the reality in nearly every place, than that is money you are wasting (let's not worry about vaccine wastage) even though it may be a small amount. In a way, it is similar to how we are enticed by McDonald's (and other corporate entities) to buy larger and larger amounts of Coke et al. for fractional increases in price even though we don't need or will not drink that much. What is the incentive for the manufacturer to invest in a new process that will net them a smaller revenue?! The technical argument is a new one for me and is much more convincing, though I do not know enough to understand if this is true (Would 12-dose or 15-dose vials be ok?) Another change that would be useful is the shape of the ampoule, which may work great on a clinic counters in developed countries, but which tips over too easily (we have had many complaints.) in outreach situations. Regardless, the VVM fight has shown that manufacturers are resistant to change. Also, in conducting economic analysis of changing vial size to reduce wastage one should note that cutting the wastage factor in half will not halve your vaccine costs. The incremental price and cost of shipping per dose goes up, considerably lowering the savings. Still shouldn't countries, through WHO/UNICEF, have some say into reducing their expenses, especially if there is general agreement?! Maybe we are just marking time waiting for revolutions in vaccine presentation and delivery methods. Andy Tucker, MPH Program Associate Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA _________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTRIBUTIONS: Contributions to: or use your reply button! The TechNet21 e-Forum welcomes new subscribers who are involved in immunization services. SUBCRIBE: To subscribe, send an e-mail to: Leave the SUBJECT area BLANK, do not type anything. In the body text, just write: Subscribe TECHNET21E Surname Name Do not use any accents in your name and surname. UNSUBSCRIBE: To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to: Leave the SUBJECT area BLANK, do not type anything. In the body text, just write: Unsubscribe TECHNET21E ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ARCHIVES Archives of posted messages classified by month starting with 1 January 2000 are accessible to all TechNet21 subscribers at the following site : http://listes.ulaval.ca/listserv/archives/technet21e.html Archives for postings prior to January 2000 can be found at the following site : http://www.who.int/vaccines-access/Vaccines/Vaccine_Cold_Chain/Technet Or by request to the Moderator at mailto:[log in to unmask] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Archives for files (documents) are under revision to clean old documents and drafts that are already replaced with new ones, and will be made available soon at a specific site. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The World Health Organization and UNICEF support TechNet21. The TechNet21 e-Forum is a communication/information tool for generation of ideas on how to improve immunization services. It is moderated by Claude Letarte and is hosted in cooperation with the Centre de coopération internationale en santé et développement, Québec, Canada (http://www.ccisd.org) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------