Vaccine Innovation Meta-Model for Pandemic Contexts

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Vaccinology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Infectious disease outbreaks and pandemics pose significant challenges to global health security.
• Vaccine research and development (R&D) is traditionally a lengthy, complex, and costly process.
• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the urgent need for accelerated vaccine development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the paradigm shift in vaccine R&D during pandemic contexts.
• To analyze the impact of this shift on the vaccine innovation value chain.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature review and meta-synthesis of 27 articles and reports published between 2011 and 2021.
• Focus on studies addressing vaccine R&D in the context of global health threats, outbreaks, epidemics, or pandemics.

Main Results:

• A meta-model was developed to describe a fast-track R&D process for pandemic contexts.
• Identified key drivers, innovations, and mechanisms of this accelerated process.
• Quantified the impact on the vaccine innovation value chain.

Conclusions:

• Fast-track vaccine R&D, driven by collaboration between regulators, industry, and academia, can reduce development time by an average of 11 years.
• Leveraging enabling technologies is crucial for accelerating vaccine R&D.
• Pharmacovigilance and real-world evidence monitoring are essential for ensuring the safety and efficacy of authorized pandemic vaccines.