Vaccine wastage and cost saving after multi-dose vial policy implementation in Egypt: A success story

Prevention of disease through vaccination is one of the greatest public health successes. The Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI) previous policy stated that all vaccines had opened for immunization session had to be discarded at the end of the session, regardless to the type of the vaccine or the number of doses remaining in the vial. To bring wastage rate down, the WHO multi-dose vial policy (MDVP) was introduced. It stated that multi dose liquid vaccine vials, from which one or more doses have been administered, may be used for subsequent immunization session up to 28 days in the recommended manufacture storage conditions provided that certain condition must be met. The EPI in Egypt had adopted the MDVP in 2016. The current study aimed to evaluate the impact of implementation MDVP on vaccine wastage rate in Alexandria, and to estimate the cost reduction after that policy.

Information regarding to vaccine doses consumed and children vaccinated were retrieved from medical districts and primary health care units for the period from January 1st 2014 to October 31st 2018. Interrupted time series design with control was conducted to determine the level change and trend change for the policy vaccines and for estimating the average cost saved after the policy.

The adoption of MDVP led to a significant reduction in the wastage rates of Pentavalent vaccine by 84.7%, DPT vaccine by 82.5% and OPV by 32%. Thus, by implementation of MDVP the estimated annual cost saved for the policy vaccine in all Egypt could be USD2,449,07995%CI826,076to12,219,869.

The implementation of MDVP in Alexandria made a significant reduction in the vaccine wastage rate which led to a saving in vaccine requirement and by consequence a cost saved.