China considers VVMs

China considers VVMs by Qiyou Xiao, China National Biotec Group; Shuyan Zuo, WHO China; and Jack Zhang, PATH China In June, the first national seminar and information session about the necessity and feasibility of using vaccine vial monitors (VVMs) on domestically produced vaccines used in China was hosted by the Sinopharm Group. While the purpose of the meeting was exploratory, Sinopharm representatives indicated a two-fold interest in VVMs that has been growing over the past four years: (1) to improve the quality assurance of the vaccine cold chain in China, and (2) to prepare to enter the international vaccine market as a supplier to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The Sinopharm Group (http://www.sinopharm.com/p391.aspx) is China’s largest pharmaceutical and health industrial group under the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council and parent company of six of China’s largest manufacturers of Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) vaccines. More than 60 people gathered in the city of Changchun including representatives from the Ministry of Health, China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.chinacdc.cn/n272562/index.html), China’s State Food and Drug Administration (http://eng.sfda.gov.cn/eng/) (SFDA), TempTime (http://www.temptimecorp.com/PublicPages/About-Temptime.aspx) (makers of HEATmarker® VVMs), Parteurop (http://www.parteurop.fr/), EuraBioLife, the six government institutes that manufacture vaccines a! nd biological products under the Sinopharm Group, and the China offices of the World Health Organization (WHO) and PATH. The representative from the Chinese SFDA discussed the need to improve vaccine quality, enhance the vaccine cold chain, and strengthen the public’s opinion of vaccine quality and safety. Implementation of VVMs would help to achieve these goals. Since 1996, WHO and UNICEF have specified VVMs to be affixed to vaccines (http://www.who.int/vaccines-documents/DocsPDF99/www9924.pdf)prequalified for EPI vaccination campaigns. VVMs are now on 98 percent of vaccines procured internationally through UNICEF’s Supply Division. Over the last six years the number of VVMs supplied has increased from 180 million to over 420 million per year. The Ministries of Health of Indonesia and India have required VVMs on all domestically produced vaccines for use within the country for several years. If China follows suit, three of the world’s most populous countries will have shown great leadership in adopting a proven technology to improve vaccination program effectiveness and access to immunization. We invite you to comment on or post a question relating to this article by clicking the “post reply” button on this page. You will have to log in or register; the process is very simple. Return to the Optimize newsletter.