The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and the GAVI Alliance welcome the conclusion of UNICEF’s tender process, which makes accessible sufficient quantities of affordable inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) to support country introductions, in line with the ambitious timeline of GPEI’s Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan 2013-2018.
The vaccine will now be available to GAVI-supported countries for as little as EUR 0.75 per dose (approximately USD 1.00 per dose at current exchange rates) in ten-dose vials.
For middle-income countries, 10-dose presentations will be available through UNICEF from July 2014 at a price of EUR 1.49-2.40 (approximately USD 2.04-3.28 at current exchange rates). In addition, the awards by UNICEF include a price of USD 1.90 per dose for IPV in five-dose vials and USD 2.80 for IPV in single-dose vials. These vaccine presentations are accessible to both GAVI- supported and middle-income countries.
Further reductions in the cost of IPV are being pursued for the medium-term (i.e., post-2018) through continued efforts to develop and license new products.
As recommended by the World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) and endorsed by the World Health Assembly, the introduction of IPV globally – prior to a phased removal of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) during 2016-2018 – is a major element of the comprehensive plan to end all polio disease and secure a polio-free future.
Introduction of IPV will also help accelerate eradication of the remaining polioviruses by boosting global immunity.
GPEI’s plan calls for the introduction of IPV into routine immunisation programmes globally by the end of 2015. More than 120 countries have yet to introduce IPV, more than half of which are eligible for GAVI support.
Today’s publication of prices following conclusion of the UNICEF tender ensures that affordable IPV will be made available, removing a major obstacle to global introduction.
Last year, GAVI committed to support IPV introduction into routine immunisation programmes in up to 73 GAVI countries. It is anticipated that GAVI-supported countries will begin to introduce IPV before the end of 2014. As with the introduction of other new vaccines, IPV provides countries the opportunity to strengthen components of their routine immunisation systems, extending the power of vaccines to even more children.
The past several years have seen tremendous progress toward the eradication of polio, with the virus now making its last stand in some of the most difficult areas of the world. As efforts continue to stamp out the last poliovirus reservoirs, governments, GPEI, GAVI and partners are also preparing the next steps for sustaining a polio-free world.
With this tender completed, more than 120 countries can now move forward with their plans to introduce at least one dose of IPV into their routine immunisation schedules.
For additional information on IPV introduction, please visit the WHO’s toolbox and www.gavialliance.org.
