Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 91, Number 1, January 2013, 1-80
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/90/12/en/index.html

PERSPECTIVES
Vaccine Presentation and Packaging Advisory Group: a forum for reaching consensus on vaccine product attributes
Osman David Mansoor, Debra Kristensen, Andrew Meek, Simona Zipursky, Olga Popovaa, InderJit Sharma, Gisele Miranda, Jules Millogo & Heidi Lasher
doi: 10.2471/BLT.12.110700

“…Conclusion
The VPPAG is an important forum where stakeholders from the vaccine industry and immunization programmes interact to discuss in depth vaccine product characteristics and their impact on immunization programmes. Already, the VPPAG has brought about meaningful changes in the way vaccines are packaged and presented for developing country programmes. (The group’s 2008 terms of reference,18 current gPPP24 and a profile previously completed for the pneumococcal vaccine19 are available for download on WHO’s web site.)

The VPPAG could provide a model for organizations struggling to meet the needs of markets in both high- and low-income countries. Such organizations would benefit from feedback on product characteristics that could improve product applicability in markets with different infrastructures, and consumers in developing countries could benefit from access to a wider array of suitable products without unnecessary delay. Having a forum that allows constructive dialogue between the public and private sector furthers our shared goal of preventing disease, disability and death from vaccine-preventable diseases by designing products that can more easily reach those who will most benefit from immunization.”